YOURSAY | ‘We’ve allowed Pandora’s Field of spiritual extremism to open for too lengthy.’
MP SPEAKS | The secular boogeyman
David Dass: This can be a good essay by Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid. When moderates say secular, they don’t imply irreligious.
Malaysians usually observe some faith or the opposite. Most Malaysians are non secular. After we say secular, we are saying separate faith from politics and authorities. Why do we are saying that?
First, even when all Malaysians adopted one religion, there would invariably be variations in interpretation and opinion of spiritual tenets. Even clerics disagree. Secondly, the nation will transfer from being a democracy to a theocracy. That’s the place energy and authority shifted to the clerics. We see that in Iran.
Thirdly Malaysia is a various nation the place greater than 40 p.c of the persons are not Muslims. We’re all held collectively by a Structure that ensures equality, non-discrimination and freedom of worship. To maneuver from the Structure to the syariah requires the abrogation of our Structure.
That won’t be potential – in regulation and from a sensible viewpoint. Be as non secular as you need. This could imply being good, compassionate, charitable, simply and honest to all. However don’t search to impose one set of spiritual views on all.
Appum: Sure, it is a good piece. There is no such thing as a disgrace in selling secularism and our Federal Structure prescribed that to our plural society.
With out secularism, it’s troublesome to advertise moderation, and secularism right here doesn’t imply non-believers however solely that faith is separated from authorities administration and authorities insurance policies.
All are free to imagine in no matter they want to privately.
GreenCheetah0027: How do you place it into apply? Everyone knows the difficulty and what may very well be achieved to cope with it. However we do not even dare to level this out. Those that should not of a selected race or faith don’t dare to lift it due to threats of mass violence towards them for allegedly insulting race and/or faith.
Those that are of the race and faith, who know what is required additionally, someway, don’t dare to talk out. They solely dare write fantastic essays in English for the like-minded scaredy-cats to applaud them. Do they dare to publish in one other language the place the true change may very well be made?
I doubt so as a result of they may in all probability face backlashes from their very own, the conservative ones. So, we’re again to sq. one, stepping into circles, avoiding the core subject. We solely have ourselves guilty, sadly.
241122: This nation was constructed on the muse of participation and sharing amongst numerous races and communities. The Federal Structure laid out that Islam is the official faith, and no one can dispute this matter.
Though right this moment’s population-wise, there is a Malay and Muslim majority, it does not imply the nation is an Islamic nation; it is one thing which I believed former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad had unilaterally declared.
The liberty for the apply of faith is already assured by the Federal Structure. Or else why would Sarawak and Sabah be a part of to kind Malaysia then?
The issues we see now are resulting from politicians who swayed from the paths which had been set out by the founding fathers of this nation, and of their aspirations to steer and forge the nation’s future, created and imposed insurance policies based on their “most well-liked inclinations”, made potential resulting from their political energy.
Test and steadiness? Hardly efficient. In the present day, what we see is the steam-rolling results, leading to extremism and bigotry, coupled with the illness of corruption. If this isn’t reversed, we are able to already think about the place this can result in.
All the things rise and falls on management, and we see the results of this for many years besides that now we’re virtually on the brink of tipping over, which might most definitely be taking place had extremists gained the fifteenth common election.
Fortunately, with this unity authorities, the nation now has an opportunity to make a U-turn. In the meantime, the remainder of the world, together with nations with individuals of a selected faith have moved ahead progressively, but preserving their faith and leaving Malaysia behind.
Quigonbond: It will be a problem for the far-right to just accept this text as extremism just isn’t the alternative of secularism, moderately faith-based governance is. In fact, they’d problem this assertion too.
Politicians and leaders can lean on their ethical beliefs to make insurance policies, however the content material and technique of law-making and enforcement are scientific and fact-based.
Tunku Abdul Rahman, our first prime minister, had already mentioned our structure is a secular one. That’s the crux of the matter. This isn’t the primary time that is taking place. On the peak of Anwar Ibrahim’s sacking from the federal government and Umno, Dr Mahathir Mohamad unilaterally “turned” Malaysia into an Islamic state.
Newday: We maintain a novel place on the planet with our racial and spiritual combine. Sadly, we now have allowed Pandora’s Field of spiritual extremism to be open for too lengthy.
Our answer will likely be a novel Malaysian answer wherein we borrow, use and mix the very best bits of secularism and religion-peace, love, mutual respect, freedom of opinion and understanding.
There may be room for all – fundamentalists/literalists, moderates, liberals, atheists, agnostics and even gnostic in a society based mostly on secular beliefs and the structure.
We have to be allowed to observe our beliefs or religion so long as they aren’t imposed on others. That’s all I want for. Hopefully, this new authorities is the beginning of a free without-fear Malaysia.
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