August 11, 2012
Re-orienting the Muslim Mind
Lack of religious understanding makes it easier for weak Muslims to be influenced by world views and way of life that run counter to Islam.
IN conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (Ikim), the institute organised an international conference on “Re-orienting the Muslim Mind: Charting the Future” on July 10–11. Its objectives included identifying the real problems besetting the Muslim community today, how to deal with them, and to offer explanations or find answers to get out of them.
Four international speakers were invited to deliberate on the subject. All basically agree that the root of the Muslims’ dilemma today boils down to the problem of knowledge.
This primarily entails ignorance, misunderstanding, misgivings and confusions about religion.
In his welcoming speech, Ikim’s Director-General Datuk Nik Mustapha Nik Hasan said: “Islam is perhaps the world’s most misunderstood religion. Islam and Muslims have been associated with extremism, terrorism, backwardness and all sorts of negativities one can imagine.”
He continued that from the overwhelming prejudices, biases and ill treatment from the primarily Western culture and media, it is extremely difficult for the Muslims to restore, let alone command, the honour and respect they once enjoyed in history.
He explained further that the current predicaments suffered by Muslims worldwide “are due to their own doings and attitudes of not actually living up to the standards prescribed by Islam. They seem to have failed to appreciate the real issues or principles of truth and wisdom in religion, lose interest in knowledge and give priority to petty things.”
“Ignorance thus takes place, confusions arise to new heights, resulting in disunity, corruption, economic downfall, military incapacitation, increasing criminal rate, ethical crisis – almost everything negative about a decent civilisation. Consequently, Muslims now lag far behind other cultures.”
I cannot but agree with the foregoing statements. Generally, a considerable number of Muslims do not sufficiently understand their religion.
As a result, they internally fail to practise Islam properly, and externally, become exposed to the ways of thinking, ideologies, philosophies and lifestyles coming from alien cultures and civilisations.
The lack of religious understanding makes it easier for weak Muslims to be influenced by those foreign world views and way of life.
Not knowing that they run counter to Islam, they adopt those ideas and behaviours and spread them to fellow Muslims consciously or unconsciously, among others, through their decisions and policy-making.
Therefore, the problems of the Muslims are two-fold: Internal and external. Both are equally destructive, and need to be handled with wisdom, i.e. knowledge.
To improve the aforementioned Muslims’ situation, their educational systems need to be reviewed and revamped to inculcate right values to produce a more prepared Muslim generations intellectually and spiritually.
This bodes well with the very raison d’etre of Ikim itself. It was again reiterated by its Director-General that “the 20th anniversary of Ikim in general, and the international conference in particular, will mark a new chapter in Ikim’s endeavours to reinstate the importance of knowledge and education, and to disseminate a better understanding of Islam to both Muslims and non-Muslims, and in the process, build bridges between the two target groups.”
With the introduction of the new Ikim tagline “Understand Islam Build Civilization”, Datuk Nik Mustapha states that the institute aspires to stress to Muslims that it is extremely important for them to first and foremost understand their own religion if they are really serious about coming out from the current plights and dilemmas.
This has to happen across the board in every discipline of knowledge and at every level of the ummah.
Muslims are to come back and adhere genuinely to their two most important references, the Holy Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet, with proper understanding guided by the wisdom of reliable and authoritative ulama’.
This is up your street, Bean, Tok Cik and Semper Fi. I think IKIM itself needs reform so that it is not used a political tool by the present government. Islam has been used to subjugate the Malays to the dictates of a self serving government. If you don’t believe me listen the khutbah on Friday at any mosques or to people like carma Ridhuan Tee Abdullah or Tok Cik’s guru, Harussani of Perak. –Din Merican
Muslims just like other faith believers have to learn to be tolerant of all other faiths and live together in relative harmony.
Islam is not difficult to understand, it’s just the Muslims that make it difficult to understand. Muslims must first subscribe to the Shahadah and the real meaning of the Shahadah.
Islam is expanding by leaps and bounds in the US not just by immigration but also through conversion. Everyday we hear of a new Islamic Center or Mosque opening up somewhere. Not government funded but through the efforts of the believers.
Muslims in the US are paying heavily for the actions of Muslims abroad through Islamophobia. Muslims in the US through CAIR, ISNA and ICNA are doing a wonderful job of spreading the message that Islam can coexist peacefully with the other religions. However action of some black sheep Muslims have jeapordize this peaceful setting. Many Muslims immigrant ran away from their land of birth to seek peace and freedom and solace in the US. However once they settled down in the US they try to impose the very same restrictive brand of Islam that they ran away from earlier on the US Muslims. Thus Islam gets a bad rap.
IKIM needs to focus on the broad picture instead of the nitty gritty things. IKIM by nature of its developmental status should set the guidelines on haram and halal and the interpretation associated with it. Ask any ordinary Mamat why pork is haram and they say I don’t know, it’s just that the Ustaz say it’s haram.
IKIM needs to determine what constitutes an Islamic state and does Malaysia consider it an Islamic state or is Islam just the official religion. Lay out the ground rules and reasons.
IKIM needs to be firm and steadfast on what branch of Jurisprudence Malaysian Muslims subscribe to and explain the difference between the 4 major schools. IKIM should also undertake to explain the difference between Shia and Sunni, the Wahabis, Salafist and other minority school of thoughts. Sunnah wal Jamaah practice by the majority, who is the majority? The Hanafis are the majority not the Shafiees.
Last but not least subscribe to the Shahadah and remember Islam is for all mankind and all time period, not Malay Muslims, Arab Muslims and Indo Pakistani Muslims. Breakdown this barrier, liberate the Malay Muslim mind. Islam is practiced by millions in China and for hundred of years but why do we treat Chinese Muslims as saudara baru? Who is the saudara baru here?
Datuk Din,
Kita rakyat Malaysia dan orang Melayu Muslim adalah keturunan orang beragama Islam. Tetapi setakat mana kefahaman kita, datuk nenek kita dan ibu bapa kita tentang Islam Tuhan sahaja yang tahu dan kita sahaja yang tahu.
Kalau datuk nenek dan ibu bapa kita mempunyi pengtahuan yang terhad bagaimana kita sebagai umat Islam di Malaysia hendak menjadi seorang Islam yang baik, yang patuh dan yang boleh mengamalkan amalan-amalan yang baik dan yang betul seperti yang di perintahkan oleh Allah seperti yang terkandung dalam Al Quran?
Belajar agama adalah seperti belajar sabjek-sabjek seperti bahasa, mathematic, science, music dll. Kalau kita belajar main piano kita belajar dari Grade 1 hinggalah ke Grade 8 dan seterusnya. Kalau kita belajar hingga grade 3 sahaja maka pengtahuan dan pengalaman kita dalam main piano amatlah terhad. Bagitu jugalah dengan mengajar dan belajar agama Islam dll agama.
Di Malaysia sekarang ini kita ada Sekolah Agama Islam, kelas agama Islam di Masjid, surau dan pondok. Kita ada ustaz dan ustazah dan tambahan kepada itu kita ada pendakwah dan penceramah agama yang berkelulusan tinggi dan yang memiliki ijazah dari berbagai university dari Negara Arab, Indonesia, Pakistan, Afganistan dan Malaysia sendiri. Ada yang pro UMNO, PAS, Keadilan dan Bebas dan apabila mereka member ceramah agama ada pula yang menggunakan politik dalam ceramah dan dakwah mereka dan ini menjadikan ramai lagi muslimin dan muslimat di seluruh Malaysia keliru dan tertanya-tanya yang mana betul, yang mana sunah dan yang mana perintah Allah.
Malaysia belum ada mempunyi satu undang-undang untuk mentadbir agama Islam, penyebaran Islam, hal ehwal orang Islam, pendakwah Islam dll – no federal law seperti CPC dan Penal Code. Lain negeri lain Undang-Undang Syariahnya. Kita patut ada satu Undang-Undang yang boleh digunapakai diseluruh Malaysia dimana Majlis Raja-Raja dan Sultan mempunyi kuasa.
Kita juga patut ada satu undang-undang seperti Legal Proffession Act untuk mengawal pendakwah, penceramah, ustaz dan ustazah agama Islam.
Not too long ago a man who went by the name ‘Ayah Pin’ the originator of the Sky Kingdom was incarcerated for eleven months after being charged under the Trengganu Syariah Criminal Offence Enactment (2001). According to the state religious department the man recanted and is freed and is still a Muslim. The U.S. Department of State Report every year refers to the crackdown by the Malaysian government on deviant Islamic teachings. Are we to think that the UMNO version of Islam is not deviant??
I say to UMNO and PAS “Take your dirty hands off Islam”.
Stop politicizing Islam.
Well put semper fi
Islam misunderstood Religion ? This is one fundamental Deception by Muslims themselves, b’coz underlying that,carries the ” blame ” on non-Muslims for misunderstandin Islam ! Its first order of Self-Deception !
No, its the Muslim himself who really Misunderstand their own Religion, & they want to impose Syariah on the World Community : Syariah is only the Outer cover, the outermost perimeter…..Its not too late in the day, for Muslims to delve into the T’sauf, and from there proceed to the deeper or underlying message of the religion, so as to to truly understand the liberty, joy & its excellence…
No wonder Semper, you say a lot of non-Muslims come into fold of Islam in the US & the west generally, b’coz they understand better, than us……yes Chinese are by far the better Muslims than Malays, b’coz Jawi & Jakim fear their own Ignorance & malaise….
Reform the Muslim mind??? Not in a million years. In Malaysia it will take all eternity.
The Malaysian Muslim mind is shallow. The why go after the khalwating couples, those who don’t puasa, and consume liquor. And they only go after the ordinary people who have no clout whilst the the rich and powerful in 5 star hotels and golf clubs are protected.
JAWI enforcement officers must have three ba**s to raid a VVIPs in these joints.
And they condemn lesbians and gays as though they are worse than animals when in fact some of them are closer to God than these religious bigots in our country.
‘”He continued that from the overwhelming prejudices, biases and ill treatment from the primarily Western culture and media, it is extremely difficult for the Muslims to restore, let alone command, the honour and respect they once enjoyed in history”
More so for Malays from Malaysia to coomand any respect when you see them with arrogance and air of artifical superiority, with the government given cructches hidden in their wallet tottering around the bars in the 5star hotel lobies in Australia.
One has to go the extra strain to see such Malays as nice human beings outside the hatred the UMNOMelayus have instilled in the hearts and minds of the non Malays for the discrimination they suffer in Malaysia.
NB
excuse me for quoting St Augustine frequently :
” The whole world is a ” Book ” – those who do not ‘travel’ reads only the first page…. “
I think one of the reasons is because Malays don’t read the QRN in a language they understand, only in a language they PRETEND to understand. And they don’t read it but chant it like a hindu priest at the temple.
This is quoted from “Mental Bondage” by Aidid Safar [http://www.aididsafar.com]
1.1 Misconceptions
• Islam effectively means peacefulness.
• We accomplish peacefulness by observing orders [which is the deen], a providence from God revealed to all prophets and messengers so mankind will enjoy an orderly way of life in the grand design of His creations [which is God’s system].
• Islam is intended to be a life of blissfulness without religions, myths, superstitions, or ‘holiness’.
• The Arab Religionists, or ARS, have systematically destroyed this ideal, not by demolishing it, but by altering its form so that it is no longer manifested as God intended.
• The QRN says any person can enjoy a blissful life without having to profess a religion.
• The ARS have proven to the world they are truly the enemies of God’s prophets when they replaced ‘peace’ with a ‘sadistic’ idol-worshipping religion.
• The QRN assures whatever wrongdoings people commit can be converted into credit once they decide to lead a righteous life.
• Such a decision does not require them to profess a religion.
• We don’t have to be religious to repent or to believe in the One God.
• We don’t have to profess a religion to do good deeds.
1.2 QRN
• The ARS say it is not possible to translate the QRN into any other language because the attempt will change the essence of its meaning.
• THIS IS A LIE. This is a conspiracy the ARS hatched to prevent people from understanding God’s word in their own languages.
• It also has the effect of making the ARS the de facto keepers of the faith since we have to refer to them on all matters related to the Arabic language.
• The inevitable result of this is that whatever they claim to be the correct interpretation we have to accept as God’s truth.
• The net effect of this is the gradual and insidious replacement of God’s deen or way of life with practices of the invented Arab Religion, or AR.
• The ARS deliberately erected a language barrier to exert their influence over their religion and, by extension, over the people who practice the AR.
• As a result, they created the Arab and Muslim culture as we know it today.
• They prevent the faithful from SERVING God by systematically isolating them from understanding the QRN.
• Eventually, all translations of the QRN have to undergo their censorship before they can be circulated as legitimate translations.
• The true objective of the QRN has always been to make life simple for everyone so they could all SERVE Him.
Salam
Mohamed bin Halim
Isa is always simplistic… if we wish to “reorient” Islam and the Muslim mind the first step is NOT knowledge but to keep religion well within the walls of each home (much like we had here in our country five decades ago).
Islam does not recognise, nor does it need, self-appointed defenders of our religion. Marginalise these from within our midst and I reckon we shall be OK.
Well said, semper. Another problem with the Muslims is that they love to put the blame on anything on the Jews. It’s as if they are trying to run away from their responsibility on their wrongdoings.
Not only Jews, didi. The bogeyman at present, are the Christians – according to the ragheads.
I see the ‘problem’ from the perspective of religious evolution in the Abrahamic traditions. The Jews have suffered through periods of horrific persecution, as have the Christians – and their ‘mindset’ have evolved in response. They no longer insist that their Scripture is the Literal Word of God, but an Inspired one through their prophets and from the Messiah (i.e. Christ/Anointed One for Christians). Of course there are Literalists among them – and liberals like me, deem them as fundamentalist blockheads, not much different from the Muslim ragheads.
The insistence on this Literal-ness without proper exegesis on the conditions and historicity, has led to all sorts of dos and don’ts – spurious laws of human tradition from archaic cultural mindsets. Islam to me, is a very simple religion to follow and hence, it’s attraction to many. The superfluous interpretations by the Scribes and Teachers of Law based on their narrow world-view, is what galls. As a result, the myriads/host of interpretations of who/what, constitutes a good Muslim.
Kathy, brought up a good point some threads back, that i have a problem with “Submission”. Absolutely. For my Scripture, insists that i ask, seek and knock at the door. Therefore, i don’t submit easily for simple reasons of expediency. Faith and belief are separate things. The former is metaphysical and inviolate, while the latter is dependent on the environment, ie a superstition. I’m of little ‘Faith’, but faith none the less, unlike those so sure of their ‘Fate’.
What Muslims in their ‘diaspora’ are able to do in the West, is to exegete without the socio-cultural hubris of their ancestors. Therein, lies their greatest intellectual and humanistic insights. Therefore, i believe that ‘Enlightenment’ for Muslims is only possible when they are taken out of their milieu of cultural supremacy.
Remember, the Christians took a millennium to undergo the Great Schism over the ‘ridiculous’ Filoque Clause, and another 500 years before the “Reformation”, “Counter-reformation” and subsequent “Enlightenment”. So meanwhile, my brothers and sisters in Islam, there are wars to be fought and conflicts to be resolved between the major sects and schools of jurisprudence. So patience and perseverance, for it is not a war of Religion but of Culture.
Forget it, if people do not wish to seek for truth
muslims? Are you sure we are? Not if Allah hasnt perfected it. So stop claiming to be muslims . We dont know whose Islam has been perfected and whose hasnt. Syariah is merely one level. Even then we bicker what Syariah means let alone the other levels of faith. So just leave it alone and let people get on with the living and Good deeds.
CLF, its great that we can discourse , thats what I say!
btw the first reorientation is this ; Be quiet and dont judge others. Look in the mirror carefully before you open your trap about others.
So patience and perseverance, for it is not a war of Religion but of Culture.” CLF.
So wise. ” False worship it is known as in the Koran.
we live in a civilised world which is relatively safe and accomodating. we have achieved this not because of one particular religion but all the religions and superstitions, beliefs and faiths together.
as Isa Manteqi said, can we not leave our faiths/beliefs/religion and whatsoever at home and attempt to understand each other and each others culture? which will make us really civilised.
do we need religion in this world for anything else other than for the personal needs of an individual, for his ease of mind (‘innere Ruhe’) to remind him what is right and what is wrong as written in our holy books which holds the experiences of wise men who led the way once upon a time?
civilised – having a high state of culture and development both social and technological; – wiki
culture is mainly related to religion and the environment
IKIM=UMNO
The lesser said the better?
Which Govt linked news media is not pro-govt?
MUST BE JOKING!
THE MALAYS ARE NOT AUTOMATIC MUSLIMS!
JUST LIKE NOT ALL PAKISTANIS ARE MUSLIMS
OR ALL ARABS ARE MUSLIMS
Why do malays become CHRISTIANS then?
Why do we hear MALAY girls throwing new born babies in the drains?
Why do we have MAT REMPITS all MELAYUS?
Why do we have MAT RAGUT orang Melayus?
WORST WE HAVE GRANDFATHER, FATHER AND SON RAPING THEIR OWN CHILD, GRANDCHILD & SISTER?
IS IT ACCEPTED AS A NORM?
OH WHY DO THE MALAYS FALL INTO THIS CATEGORY?
DO MUSLIMS DO SUCH THINGS?
O DATO’ BEAN – PLEASE SHARE WITH ME HOW DO WE GET RID OF THIS EVIL SOCIAL STIGMA BLEMISHING THE RACE!
Is it not strange that the most enlightened of all religions, do not see need to convert others, to blow their horn and beat others on the head? It would seem that the least secure are the most rabid about proselytizing, following of a perceived code of conduct and Religious Laws. They are often called ‘conservative’, but a better word would be ‘reductionist’.
Unfortunately, all religions have a tendency to judge what is; rather than what is not. For instance, whoever knows the Old (including the Apocrypha) and New Testament, will find that all the richness of God’s self revelation through the Prophets and through His Son, has been set aside in Islam. Perhaps for this reason itself, our reductionist thought police have found it expedient to ban the al-Kitab in the Peninsula, so that the innocents are spared the agony. The Theology (including sorteriology i.e. salvation) and Anthropology are very distant between the streams of thought. The twain shall not meet, much less discourse. The only thing that concerns us, is Justice, not the hereafter.
The only thing that concerns us, is Justice, not the hereafter. – CLF!
religion is mainly about the thereafter, about what will happen to you if you don’t follow what the Book or the clergy says. whereas justice has nearly nothing to do with religion, except maybe the ultimate justice meted out to you at the gates to heaven. justice and politics should be free of religious influence in order to function effectively – just like in the Kafir West, naturally with exceptions.
suddenly I thought of Francis of Assisi, and found two appropriate quotes for our brothers and sisters of various religions:
“No one is to be called an enemy, all are your benefactors, and no one does you harm. You have no enemy except yourselves.”
― St. Francis of Assisi
for our umno brothers and sisters and corrupt rascals who call themselves political leaders:
“Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received–only what you have given.”
― St. Francis of Assisi
Thereafter?
Yeah, reeper. Thanks. Must have been a short-circuit in the temporal lobe.
Perhaps, i was speaking for myself, as i tend not to dwell on things i can’t know. I was taught that the ‘Now’ is eternity itself, though i always wondered what that meant. Hence, my mystic ‘hereafter’. Paradise/heaven/hell require a whole lot of theological considerations. I certainly wouldn’t wanna go to a paradise with 72 houris – too much work!
I think St Francis would know that his wisdom will be wasted on those recalcitrant types. His Prayer always brings me down to earth.
To be fair Melayu Sedih, The Indians are no different from the Malays. The Indian youngs have nothing else in life except getting involved with gangsterism and toddism. Worst still they’ll kill each other over matters like girls, drugs dealing and who should collect a few hundred bucks from the street vendors and shopkeepers….
Haiyaa MELAYU SEDIH and Selvarajoo. You people don’t worry maa, the Chinese young people also nothing to do but gamble everyday with their hard earned money and keep playing mahjong until early hours in the morning. If they lost heavily they came back fighting with their brother and sisters asking more money. Some of them even forced their girlfriend to become prostitutes. So you see this social ills don’t conform to onlt the Malays but also Indians and Chinese. The truth is what lack is parent’s guidance and maybe religious upbringing to these youths whatever race you are.
You’re right amoi. The Indian youth also got involved with gangsterism and drinking toddy. Many are drugs pushers and pimp brokers, getting involved in bloody fight over matters like girls, drugs and extortion on small business vendors and shopkeepers. Many are jobless and lack religious upbringing and education.
MELAYU SEDIH, Why only the Malays??…As if other races are free from the social ills. Just look at the Indian youth, many are jobless and involved in gangsterism, drugs pushers, extortion etc, etc. The Chinese youngs are known for their gamblins, playing mahjong, car thefts etc, etc. So to single out only the Malays is considered a bias statement. You must not view with a jaundice mind and see on the whole spectrum.
thats right, selvarajoo, amoi, meleyu sedih and ahmad. see that as our common problem. we all are properly screwed for another generation or two because our education system has failed us and our politicians have plundered and raped us.
vote wisely in the next election and pray to your Gods that good times will finally come to malaysians after 55 years of MCA, MIC and UMNO.
CLF, the present will be like an eternity if your life is miserable. for our umnoputras the present is tooo short to enjoy the fruits of their labour, we have to give them another five years la.
I was not correcting you, I did not notice the difference! now we are ‘here’, and once we are kicked out from this world we will land ‘there’! that was my reasoning.
Nah. No worries about that reeper. I wasn’t actually into semantics, but would like to know what constitutes ‘Now’. There’s chronos time and kyrios time. Occasionally, there’s also the WTF moments, like what i displayed.
Your explanation sounds pretty solid. Yeah, the politics here take like an eternity to solve. Even Angela Merkel, the bull-baiter, would have thrown in towel. Shows how much growing up we need to do. The Americans too.