By appeasing the mullahs in order to win support, the prime minister is just pushing us further down the road to an Islamic state.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s invitation to JAKIM to go beyond its traditional role of preaching, training and jointly organising Quran recital competitions to helping the government draft national development plans, the national budget and reforming national and governmental institutions took everyone by surprise.
Commenting further, he says he wants JAKIM to “not only to talk about religion and Islamic law [but] to expand its duties, talk about economic issues, look at digital programmes, and look at the education curriculum”. He went on to explain that if Muslims in this country do not get a true understanding of Islamic teachings, it is feared that it may result in clashes between communities in this country.
Giving an agency like JAKIM all these added responsibilities, however, is ill-conceived. For one thing, JAKIM has no expertise whatsoever in economic planning or in technology or public education. It can bring nothing to the table but another layer of bureaucracy and religious dogma that will make the already cumbersome policy-making process even more complicated.
If the government needs advice in preparing the national budget or input on economic development plans, shouldn’t it turn to economists, bankers and entrepreneurs instead of the mullahs? Isn’t that what the prime minister’s advisory council headed by former Petronas chief executive officer Hassan Marican is there for?
As well, if the prime minister really wants to promote inter-religious and inter-ethnic harmony, JAKIM is the worst possible choice for the job. JAKIM is seen as divisive and hostile towards other faiths. It is the tip of the spear in promoting an exclusive religion paradigm that leaves little or no room for other faiths.
Indeed, JAKIM has shown by its actions (or the lack of it) that it has no interest in promoting the kind of inclusiveness and tolerance that the prime minister insists is a big part of his agenda.
Where was JAKIM, for example, when a mufti declared that “there would be no more chaos and we can focus on development” if non-Muslims convert to Islam or when Hadi accused non-Muslims of being the “root of corruption” in Malaysia or when he warned Muslims “to place their trust in Muslim leaders regardless of their wickedness,” claiming that believers will end up in hell if led by non-Muslims? Its consistent silence on many of these issues says a lot about the kind of agency it has become.
And remember, this is also the same agency that defied the Sultan of Selangor on the Bon Odori issue and so upset the Sultan of Johor for pushing a divisive and disruptive agenda that his majesty instructed his state religious department to cut off links with it.
Given JAKIM’s approach and mindset, it staggers the imagination that the prime minister should think that JAKIM is the right agency to promote his vision of an Islam which is moderate, inclusive and tolerant.
JAKIM is a big part of the problem; giving it such a broad nation-building mandate is sheer folly. By appeasing the mullahs in order to win support, the prime minister is just pushing us further down the road to an Islamic state. – Dennis Ignatius