Constructing “Moderate Muslims” - Let Muslims be Muslims

Constructing “Moderate Muslims” - Let Muslims be Muslims

During my student politics days, when the students got a little tired of rhetoric from different camps, one student came up with an interesting message for all – “No Slogans… Wisdom please”. As I indefinitely hear labels and new labels for Muslims, I wish I can say that to them. The latest slogan or label that is being promoted and championed by politicians, journalists, orientalists, apologists and secularcrats has been “Moderate Muslim”. In fact they seem to have launched their campaign to create “Moderate Muslims”.

In the post-Sepoy mutiny era in the 19th century, the British colonialists embarked on a campaign to construct the “obedient” Muslims. At the end of the World War I, the Allies tried to construct the “Caliphateless” Muslims. At the end of World War II, the colonialists tried to construct the “Independent” Muslims. During the Soviet-Afghan war, US and UK tried to construct the “Jihadist” or “Anti-Russian” Muslims. With the discovery of oil in middle east, the western powers tried to create the “friendly” Muslims. In the post September 11 era, in order to counter militant wahabbis, salafis and jihadists, there is a campaign to construct “Moderate Muslims”.

It really intrigues me as to how there is always some campaign to construct some kind of Muslims. It is not some kind of an evolutionary process like how music genres evolves through time. Nor is it similar to how there is a never ending effort to create the fastest formula 1 car or the most chic designed car. Indeed there are very few such campaigns in other areas like how there is always a campaign to create some kind of Muslims. This peculiar enterprise can only be metaphorically illustrated to an example of someone ever building an island in the ocean only to be washed away each time by the tide, currents, waves, tsunamis, earthquakes or winds.

The current campaign to construct “Moderate Muslims” is no different from the predecessor campaigns. The architects will define their objects and anti-objects. They will describe the characteristics of both. They will then promote the merits and virtues of their objects and the need to construct it and criticize the demerits and ills/threats of their anti-objects and the need to deconstruct it. The only thing is that the architects of this campaign will be more like movie directors, writing their own stories, peaking their own climaxes, adding their own clichés and ending it with always a happy ending. They will be guided purely by their sense of cynicism and naivety throughout their whole jihad in which they will self-proclaim martyrdom in destroying the anti-objects and replacing it with objects of their creations.

Unfortunately, just like their predecessors, they will find that their objects today will become their anti-objects tomorrow. Their successors hence will have to just like them embark on a new campaign to create a new strain of Muslims. As this new strain mutate into a harmful or undesirable mutant, another campaign will be launched. This perpetual vicious cycle will never end till they actually stop their futile construction process and let Muslims be Muslims.

Enough of US evidence!

Once again US has made a fool of itself with its "evidence". The senate's claims and evidences against British politician Galloway were so lame and prima facie, yet the senate can boldly and arrogantly embark on a foolish campaign to use those invalid evidences to accuse Galloway.

What is so interesting is that US has one of the biggest research culture in the field of law in the world, its legal fraternity is well knowned, its code of laws are widely written and legislated....
Yet the blunders that US can do when it produces evidences clearly shows its hidden and ulterior motives which do not aim to upholding justice.

There is tons of credible evidence to prosecute Bush - on bringing US to war on inaccurate and invalid evidence Collin Powell - to bring forward inaccurate evidence to justify invasion of Iraq Dick Cheney- to be an accomplice to both Bush and Collin Powell Donald Rumsfeld- to sanction for excessive force to be used on Iraqi prisoners of war - to ignore abuses of Abu Ghraib when it first surfaced to him - to be supporting the false evidence produced on Iraq - to supply weapons to Saddam Hussein in the 1980s Henry Kissinger - to give Suharto the go ahead the day before the invasion of East Timor, to provide weapons and other support to Suharto necessary for invasion of East Timor

There are numerous other tons of charges against US government officials that can be produced also. Well there are enough evidence to support charges of how much arms US sold to Saddam in the 1980s. Yet the US senate has carefully singled out an European. Till the day US continue to find the devil within its belly, outside, it will never be able to stop its aggression and butchery.

Revival of Islam: A threat to fear?

Revival of Islam: A threat to fear?


The revival of Islam in recent times has been associated only with the growth of extremism by popular media, politicians and certain academics. That has fueled a growing sense of fear against that revival which has been exacerbated by the tragic events of September 11.

Though the growth of extremism itself is not a trivial issue, ironically the growth of extremism constitutes only a small part of the revival of Islam simply because it constitutes an unimaginably tiny proportion of the world Muslim population. But the larger revival of Islam is not mentioned nor brought to the awareness of the public unlike the trivial aspect of that revival. Indeed the actual revival of Islam is of the other extreme; that is, it’s the rejuvenation of the way of life of Islam, which is peaceful, tolerant and constructive amongst not only Muslims but also non-Muslims.

In fact those responsible for the perpetuation of the fear of the revival of Islam through its association with the growth of extremism are themselves not actually fearful of that trivial aspect of the revival but the other as it poses a much bigger threat to them. Before we look at this, let us look at the decline of Islam that preceded the revival.The decline of Islam began with the age of colonization and was exacerbated when the colonies became independent. The changes colonial rulers brought about to their colonies created an alien economic, commercial, political and social system which totally countered the principles of the Islamic society. For instance, the practice of divide-and-rule by the British colonialists eroded the fundamental principle of unity and tolerance while the creation of classes through colour, nobility, income etcetera eroded the principle of equality. ‘Riba’ or interest was established, which is forbidden in Islam for it is an economic incentive of money, hence benefitting only those with money and impoverishing the poor.

The decline of Islam was exacerbated when the colonial powers gave independence to the colonies after the Second World War. Colonies that had not had the liberty to govern their societies could now do so but they had lost the knowledge of the Islamic structure and system of society which existed before colonization. Nor had they gained any knowledge of running a society from their colonial masters as they were not given the liberty to run their own societies.

There were no Caliphates around either for them to emulate. In their dilemma, they decided to emulate the structure and system of society of their colonial powers which had been through tremendous construction and development throughout the colonial era. Few Islamic societies had even the liberty to make this choice as, in several instances, the leader of the independent government that replaced the colonialists was not elected by the people but appointed by former rulers; they were more keen to westernize as they believed it was the only way to modernize.

It was at this point the decline of Islam was totally exacerbated until, today, no Islamic society or country exists. Though countries today claim that they are Islamic, Islamic scholars have unanimously voiced that none qualify. Through the decades since independence the tendency has been to modernize through westernization, and then modernize through capitalism creating a dangerous mix of traditional, ethnic, western, eastern, Islamic principles. That explains how practices that are totally un-Islamic such as oppression of women and "democratic" governments with dictators came about.

Today as the ills of capitalism start to further injure the former Islamic societies that are already shackled with a self-destructive oppressive path as mentioned above, science and money have been able to solve and answer many questions and problems of life for a Muslim. But the basic questions and problems remain unanswered. As they venture in search of an answer, they are increasingly discovering there are no better solutions for problems within their "modern" societies than to revert back to the holy Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.Islam is reviving as Muslim and non-Muslim women learn how Islam, contrary to popular belief, in fact does not subjugate them but rather guides them in how to juggle the roles of life with their equal opposite sex.

Muslim women are increasingly standing up to demand the rights that Islam gives but their societies deny. With people grossly divided by power and money in today’s world, Muslims discover how Islam can correct the oppression through a just system of commerce, trade and law and Zakat (the third pillar of Islam). With racism still prevailing and with the current imaginary divide between the west and east being promoted at greater depths, with societies crumbling under ethnicity, tribalism, Islam offers a solution of egalitarianism despite color, sex, race or religion.

However there are two groups within this revival. One, the minority, seeks to achieve their ends by any means. The other is mindful that means matter just as much as the ends and both have to be achieved in the name of Islam- peace.Indeed the latter group who is seeking to achieve peace in their lives and societies pose a threat to the sustainers of capitalism as they threaten capitalism itself.

Capitalists and nationalists know that fighting an open war against this group will gather little support as this group is based on non-violence and tolerance. Hence as they set the stage for the show of the extremist minority, they rope in the peaceful majority with association for they know the eyes of the audience choose to believe only what it sees as long as the minds refuse to admit the folly of the eyes. Revival of Islam is not a threat to fear, and resisting or curbing it will only exacerbate the growth of extremism. As we have seen not too long ago, extremism cannot be allowed to grow.

Is Criticism = Opposition?

After I took a casual glance of my two postings, I realized something. Ooops I am writing about Singapore and I have been critical in my postings, which by this country's attitudes and perceptions, amounts to nothing less than opposition.

This is something that is so odd amongst Singaporean government and people that I have seen, which is to equate Criticism to Opposition.

Well let me take you along a simple exercise to see that criticism only amounts to opposition in few instances.

I am CRITICAL of today's Cartoons. But hell no, i am not against Cartoons! I love em and I watch a lot of cartoons. Though I really enjoy old cartoons, I do watch new ones but have less preference than the former.

I am CRITICAL of Liverpool. They are so pathetic that I have not been following them nowadays..... But i am no AGAINST them! Instead I am and always have been a fan of Liverpool since the age of 7.

I am CRITICAL of roti prata cos its so oily... Furthermore Singapore prata just are getting worse by the day... But I am not AGAINST roti prata.. I love em... I go all the way to JB sometimes to eat good pratas.

I am CRITICAL of Singapore's heat and humidity... But I am not against Singapore weather.... After having lived in freezing winters for 6 years, I LOVE SINGAPORE WEATHER ANYTIME TO HARSH WINTERS...

I am CRITICAL of Japanese cars cos I find they like to copy the designs of European cars and nowadays many Japanese cars look so plastic... But I am not against Japanese cars... If I should buy a car, it will be a Japanese one...

Likewise if each one of us within the Singapore government and society review everything that we criticise and that we oppose we will indeed find that out of all that we criticise only a fraction we oppose. Hence to believe criticisms amount to opposition is shallow and myopic! Lets grow up!