A REJOINDER TO IKIM’S WAN AZHAR AHMAD
By: Kassim Ahmad
kassim03@streamyx.com
1 May, 2009
The Malaysian cabinet recent ruling on conversion of children be in accord with the wishes of both parents brought praise from non-Muslims, but opposition from Muslims. Dr. Wan Azhar Wan Ahmad if IKIM wrote a strong article in his Tuesday column (see The Star, 28 April, 2009) denigrating human rights. In his arguments, he went so far as to argue for plurality and relativity of values. “What is perfectly moral in certain cultures might not be the same in certain other cultures, ”he intoned, wiping out the universalism espoused by Islam.
He went so far as to inveigh on secularism to denounce human rights. “The current international framework of human rights is largely – if not completely – based on secular philosophy,” he says. This is strange. Islam does not view the human being as consisting of two contradictory parts: the mind-body duality. Therefore, his rejection of secularism is misplaced.
The U.N. Declaration of Human Rights adopted on 10th December, 1945, also called Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is universal precisely because it reflected universal humanistic values of freedom, justice and peace. These are moral values embedded in the lives of the Human Community and are applicable universally. According to the teachings of Islam, God sent His messengers to all human communities throughout history, from Prophet Adam right up to Prophet Muhammad, including such major prophets as Abraham, Moses and Jesus. It is these divine teachings that have resulted in that important legal document of the Human Family. For Wan Azhar to dismiss it as “secular” belies ignorance and a narrow exclusivist frame of mind.
Incidentally, his remarks that “… freedom of religious conversion enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is antithetical to Islam. Islam has its own way of dealing with such an issue. No one has the right to interfere in matters they do not understand,” betray a sad state of contradiction in his understanding of Islam and an attitude bordering on arrogance. I am a Muslim and I am proud to find the Muslim scripture, the Noble Quran, stating the principle of absolute freedom of religion ahead of the Universal Declaration by 14 centuries!
Of all the prophets, Muhammad was the only one that God sent to the whole of mankind, the others being sent to their national groups. Now that Muhammad’s teachings in the Quran have become universal should be a matter of happiness and celebration rather than sorrow and opposition!
14 comments:
As a Malaysian Chinese myself I have to admit it that I know every little about Islam.
I know there are multimillion of Muslims in this world. A lot of Chinese Muslims in Mainland China and Taiwan and Hong Kong etc.
In Malaysia what I have seen it is quite different about Islam. It is made as it belongs to Malay only. Even the prayer song of Azan is expressed by Malay Muslims differently. How many non-Muslim understand it? No one is quite sure about it and willing to explain it to one who had asked. It is all due to misunderstanding of it. Because they themselves don't understand it much. They of course find it unable to give a proper explanation regarding Islam. Or may be they are wrongly told about it by Imman or other lecturers. There are rules and regulations for a Muslim to follow and practice. First of all, Sunat has to be clearly explained to non-Muslim when one had asked. After 911 in America, Islam had already been branded as uncivilized religion. It is because of some self-claimed Muslims have pronounced that what ever they have done is doing it for Islam. This is total wrong. But due to uncertainty of differentiability, many Muslims avoided this question of Holy-War(is it Hajad) and Huduh of Sharia law. And it makes more non- Muslim to be more misunderstanding about Islam.
Dear Ikh,
Peace to you.
1. Islam is quite a simple practical religion actually. Unfortunately, it has been made into a difficult one by the so-called ulama, the priesthood, which Islam rejects.
2. The major deviation is the so-called Hadith/Sunnah of the Prophet. Imam Shafie, who lived 250years after the Prophet, introduced a new doctrine that the so-called hadith must be followed on par with the Quran. Most Muslims follow his teaching. There are many hadiths that contradict the teachings if the Quran.
3. I have written two books on this topic. I think you can read them in my website.
Wassalam.
Dear Ikh,
A non-Muslim should study Islam first before trying to understand Islam in Malaysia or the Malays who made up almost all muslims in Malaysia. There are many good Islamic websites at yr fingertips.
In trying to understand Islam you should avoid this Kassim Ahmad website because he will misled you into believing that the basic problem of muslims lies with hadith. Unless you have had a good understanding of the religion. Regards.
Dear Ikh,
Moloyue's advice to you is already faulted. You CANNOT know the truth without also knowing the falsehood.
God's advice to you is excellent: "They examine all words , then folow the best." (39:18)
Moloyue's case is the case of a man, who, in the face of truth, insists on following error. What can you do to such a man? Nothing! No matter what good advice you give him, he wants to jump into the drain. So, Let him jump.
When we key in "chinese muslim convert" in Google what would we get?
Most results shows links to terrible convert exaggerated by media tragedy such as Lina Joy and so on..
So where is the true website in Malaysia made by pure Chinese/Indian convert (or revert) in Malaysia?
50 years on independence yet very little action on dakwah to non muslims in Malaysia.. why..
kaah kaah kah! moloyue terjun longkang!! tula...diberi mata tak mau lihat,diberi telinga tak mau dengar,diberi mulut cakap kosong, diberi otak tak mau guna...
Pertama kali saya ke lelaman ketua anti-hadis Malaysia. Tak tahu saya samada blog ini direka sendiri oleh Encik Kassim atau orang lain yang buatkan untuknya. Tapi kalau dia yang buat sendiri, di kolom tepi tentang dirinya (About Me) jelas di memuji dirinya sendiri.
Ini sudah penyakit "ananiyah".
Wahai Yang Tak bernama,
1. Sestengah orang memang bodoh. Tak boleh faham apa yang dia baca.
2. Lepas itu dia pamerkan kebodohannya.
3. Kebodohan itu tak salah, satu perkara yang malang. Tetapi mempamerkan kebodohan itu membawa aib kepada dirinya.
4. Lepas mempamerkan kebodohannya, dia buat pula tuduhan-tuduhan yang palsu terhadap orang yang tak suka, kerana kebodohannya tadi. Apakah jenis manusia orang-orang seperti ini?
4. Fikirlah sendiri!
Salam,
Dear sir,
I have to agree with your statement-'You CANNOT know the truth without also knowing the falsehood'
And for those who does not agree, please don't be rude...that is definitely not in our teachings.
Tetapi meletakkan pujian orang ke atas diri anda dalam kolum About Me (yang sepatutnya dan lazimnya diberi oleh blogger sendiri) tidak ada bezanya sangat seperti yang saya dakwakan. Saya ingin melihat sendiri Kassim tulis tentang dirinya dalam About Me.
Penulis blog ini tidak meletakkan pujian orang ke atas dirinya dalam kolum 'About Me'. Layout blog ini telah disediakan oleh kawannya, M. Bakri Musa. Bakri Musa jugalah yang menulis - secara langsung - kandungan kolum 'About Me'. Begitulah sejarah pendek blog ini.
Kebodohan itu tak salah, satu perkara yang malang. Tetapi mempertahankan kebodohan itu menggambarkan sikap hamqa (perkataan Arab yang bermaksud bodoh sombong).
Terpulanglah kepada yang empunya blog, samada hendak menulis tentang dirinya atau tidak, dalam blog ini.
salam sdr KA...
hampir semua tulisan sdr saya baca... walaupun ada yang saya tidak bersetuju tetapi lebih banyak yang saya terpengaruh. bagaimanapun kebanyakan yang saya tidak bersetuju(50-50) itu adalah disebabkan terutamanya oleh kepercayaan dan budaya yang bertentangan (tidak menerima sebarang pembahruan).
Saya juga adalah peminat besar sdr, berpeluang untuk menghantar sepatah kata kepada sdr adalah satu penghormatan bagi saya.
Bagi saya sdr adalah pemikir dan ahli falsafah yang telah menggunakan seluruh usia saudara untuk memperjuangkan sesuatu untuk kebaikan agama, bangsa dan negara. berbanding dengan kebanyakan orang, hidup sdr lebih bermakna!!
Saya simpati dengan orang-orang yang mengkeji sdr, mereka tidak tahu apa yang mereka katakan, mungkin juga tidak dapat berbahas secara sihat dan mematahkan hujah sdr maka jalan keji mereka ambil. polimik sdr mengenai sastera islam dengan shanon atau polimik agama dengan ustaz nakhie adalah contoh perbahasaan yang sihat tanpa mengkeji apa yang lebih penting ialah pengetahuan.
saya harap sdr akan berjaya, hanya masa yang akan menentukan benar atau tidaknya pemikiran saudara, galileo dahulu dihukum mati kerana menyatakan bumi ini bulat dan mengelilingi matahari yang bertentangan dengan kepercayaan tradisi.
sdr tidak akan rugi apa-apa dengan khazanah ilmu yang sdr tinggalkan, kalau suatu hari nanti ianya akan diterima umum sebagai kebenaran, ia suatu ibadah besar buat sdr kalau suatu hari nanti gagal, sekurang-kurangnya sdr telah berusaha dengan NIAT BAIK (sudah tentu juga murni dan mencari keredhan Ilahi), adakah hidup yang lebih baik daripada itu!!!
wassalam.......
Sdr Atui Dtabasan Yth.,
Salam.
1.Berbanyak terima kasih kerana penghargaan itu.
2.Untuk jujur kepada diri kita sendiri, sebelum kita membuat komen tentang tulisan seseorang, kita mestilah membaca tulisan-tulisan itu dulu. Kalau ulasan kita dibuat atas dasar prasangka, itu tidak ada mutu.
3.Ramai orang Islam di negara kita fanatik terhadap Hadith. Mereka tidak faham konsep tauhid, sedangkan fahaman tauhid itulah yang membezakan agama Islam dari agama-agama lain.
4.Kita boleh faham kefanatikan mereka, tetapi kita tidak boleh beri simpati.Akal yang Tuhan beri kepada mereka hendaklah mereka gunakan untuk membezakan antara kebenaran dan kepalsuan dan untuk menyelamatkan diri mereka.
Wassalam.
I have to comment on Moloyue's and Anonymous(which I don't understand , if you were to comment something rude at least have some guts and be a man to let us know who you are)Definitely I would not go to one's blog to understand another religion, and for those who had been born a moslem it is really hard to be misled I believe our iman is stronger than that!.In this era where we are competing and racing with each other we should leave the religion as it is pure ,true, sacred instead of racing who is more religious and who is wrong.Why can't we just respect and try to understand.
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