ISLAM HADHARI INI A MULTI-RACIAL SOCIETY
Zakaria Mohamad September 16th, 2007
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
I FEEL VERY HONOURED THAT THE ASIA SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA HAS INVITED ME TO SPEAK TO THIS DISTINGUISHED GATHERING TODAY. THE LINKAGE WITH ASIA PROVIDED BY THE ASIA SOCIETY, INTELLECTUALLY AS WELL AS IN REAL TERMS BETWEEN PEOPLES, IS INDEED A VALUABLE ASSET WHICH SHOULD BE PRESERVED AND NURTURED.
2. I SPEAK BEFORE YOU AS A MUSLIM. I AM ALSO SPEAKING AS THE HEAD OF GOVERNMENT IN A MULTI-RACIAL AND MULTI-RELIGIOUS COUNTRY WHERE THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE ARE MUSLIMS. BY THE BLESSINGS OF ALLAH, MALAYSIA TODAY IS PEACEFUL, STABLE, DEMOCRATIC AND RAPIDLY DEVELOPING. PEOPLE OF MANY FAITHS – MUSLIMS, BUDDHISTS, CHRISTIANS, HINDUS AND OTHERS – LIVE IN PEACE AND HARMONY WITH MUTUAL RESPECT AND TOLERANCE TOWARDS EACH OTHER. WE HAVE ACHIEVED ALL THESE NOT BY CHANCE BUT BY DELIBERATE AND SENSIBLE MANAGEMENT OF RACE RELATIONS THROUGH POWER SHARING IN OUR GOVERNMENT AND MANAGING OUR ECONOMY FOR GROWTH AND EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH AND BENEFITS. OUR GOVERNMENT CONTINUES TO ENJOY THE SUPPORT OF OUR PEOPLE. IN MY COUNTRY, THE OPPOSITION PAN MALAYSIAN ISLAMIC PARTY HAS POLITICIZED RELIGION TO THE EXTENT THAT IT CLAIMS A MONOPOLY ON ISLAM. THEY CANVASS FOR VOTES BY TELLING VILLAGERS THAT THEY WOULD BE ASSURED OF HEAVEN BY VOTING FOR THE PAN MALAYSIAN ISLAMIC PARTY.
3. DURING THE GENERAL ELECTIONS IN 1999, THE ISLAMIC PARTY SAW ITS BIGGEST GAINS EVER. IT TRIPLED ITS REPRESENTATION IN PARLIAMENT AND TOOK CONTROL OF AN OIL-RICH STATE. FACED WITH A STRENGTHENED ISLAMIST OPPOSITION, SOME IN MY PARTY – WHICH PROMOTES AN INCLUSIVE AND PROGRESSIVE ISLAM – THOUGHT THAT WE HAD TO BECOME MORE ISLAMIST THAN THE OPPOSITION. THIS WAS, OF COURSE, A VERY DANGEROUS SLIPPERY SLOPE. I BELIEVED THAT MALAYSIAN POLITICAL CHOICES WERE INFLUENCED TO SOME EXTENT ON THE ISSUE OF RELIGIOSITY, BUT WHAT WAS MORE IMPORTANT TO THE VOTERS WERE GOOD GOVERNANCE AND BROAD-BASED ECONOMIC GROWTH.
4. WHEN I TOOK OVER IN OCTOBER OF 2003, I EMBARKED ON SOME MODEST REFORMS IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THE GRIEVANCES WHICH LED TO OUR EROSION OF SUPPORT IN 1999. I TOOK A HARD LINE ON CORRUPTION. I ORDERED AN EXTENSIVE REFORM PROGRAM FOR THE POLICE FORCE. I STRESSED ON THE NEED TO HAVE CREDIBLE AND INDEPENDENT INSTITUTIONS OF GOVERNMENT LIKE THE JUDICIARY. I EMBARKED ON BALANCING THE BUDGET AND REDIRECTING GOVERNMENT SPENDING ON NEEDY SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS. I EMPHASIZED ON THE NEED TO DEVELOP THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR SO THAT THE RURAL AREAS – WHICH ARE PREDOMINANTLY MUSLIM – WOULD NOT BE LEFT BEHIND.
5. BY THE GRACE OF ALLAH, THE ELECTORATE RESPONDED. MY PARTY WAS RETURNED WITH ITS BIGGEST MAJORITY SINCE INDEPENDENCE AND WE WERE ABLE TO WIN BACK THE STATE WE LOST IN 1999. WE HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT WE CAN ROLL BACK THE ISLAMISTS, NOT BY ENGAGING IN A ‘HOLIER-THAN-THOU’ CONTEST, BUT BY ADDRESSING THE ROOT CAUSES OF ANGER AND FRUSTRATION. I POSTULATE THAT THE ISSUES THAT WE ADDRESSED ARE SIMILAR TO THOSE IN MANY OTHER MUSLIM COUNTRIES, AND BY TACKLING THESE ISSUES, ISLAMISTS CAN BE OVERCOME IN A DEMOCRATIC CONTEST.
6. BUT THERE WAS AN ISLAMIC DIMENSION TO ALL OF THIS. IT CANNOT BE DENIED THAT ISLAM HAS BECOME AN INCREASINGLY POWERFUL IMPERATIVE FOR MUSLIMS TO ACT TODAY. MUSLIMS FIND IT COMPELLING AND OBLIGATORY TO ACT IN THE NAME OF ALLAH AND FOR THE SAKE OF THE RELIGION. SADLY, THIS GREAT IMPERATIVE HAS RESULTED IN ACTIONS THAT ISLAM PROHIBITS AND CONDEMNS. KILLING INNOCENT PEOPLE AND BOMBING HARMLESS TARGETS ARE ALL ACTS THAT HAVE BEEN MISGUIDEDLY COMMITTED IN THE NAME OF ALLAH.
7. IT DEMONSTRATES, HOWEVER, HOW POWERFUL AN IMPERATIVE RELIGION CAN BE. IN MALAYSIA, WE BELIEVE THAT THIS COMPULSION TO ACT BECAUSE OF RELIGION CAN BE DIRECTED TOWARDS GOOD, TOWARDS PROGRESS, TOWARDS DEVELOPMENT. WE CALL THIS APPROACH ISLAM HADHARI, LITERALLY CIVILISATIONAL ISLAM, OR AN APPROACH TOWARDS A PROGRESSIVE ISLAMIC CIVILISATION.
8. IT IS NOT AN APPROACH TO PACIFY THE WEST. IT IS NEITHER AN APPROACH TO APOLOGISE FOR THE PERCEIVED ISLAMIC THREAT, NOR AN APPROACH TO SEEK APPROVAL FROM THE NON-MUSLIMS FOR A MORE FRIENDLY AND GENTLE IMAGE OF ISLAM. IT IS AN APPROACH THAT SEEKS TO MAKE MUSLIMS UNDERSTAND THAT PROGRESS IS ENJOINED BY ISLAM. IT IS AN APPROACH THAT IS COMPATIBLE WITH MODERNITY AND YET FIRMLY ROOTED IN THE NOBLE VALUES AND INJUNCTIONS OF ISLAM. IT IS AN APPROACH THAT VALUES SUBSTANCE AND NOT FORM.
9. IT POSITS TEN FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES WHICH MUSLIM COUNTRIES MUST DEMONSTRATE, NAMELY:
I. FAITH AND PIETY IN ALLAH;
II. A JUST AND TRUSTWORTHY GOVERNMENT;
III. A FREE AND INDEPENDENT PEOPLE;
IV. A VIGOROUS PURSUIT AND MASTERY OF KNOWLEDGE;
V. BALANCED AND COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT;
VI. A GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THE PEOPLE;
VII. PROTECTION OF THE RIGHTS OF MINORITY GROUPS AND WOMEN;
VIII. CULTURAL AND MORAL INTEGRITY;
IX. SAFEGUARDING NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE ENVIRONMENT;
X. STRONG DEFENCE CAPABILITIES
10. THESE PRINCIPLES ARE ACCEPTABLE TO OUR NON MUSLIM POPULATION OR FOR THAT MATTER, TO OUR NON MUSLIM COLLEAGUES IN THE GOVERNMENT. WITH THESE PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE US, WITH OUR CONSISTENT AND CONTINUING RECORD OF IMPROVING GOVERNANCE FOR THE PEOPLE, AND BY PRACTISING AND OBSERVING A HIGH COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY, MALAYSIA OFFERS A MODEST WORKING MODEL OF RENEWAL, REFORM AND, PERHAPS, RENAISSANCE IN THE MUSLIM WORLD. I DO NOT PRETEND THAT MALAYSIA HAS ALL THE ANSWERS TO THE MANY PROBLEMS OF THE MUSLIM WORLD. I AM ALSO AWARE THAT DIFFERENT COUNTRIES NEED DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS TO THEIR PROBLEMS BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT MALAYSIA CAN BE A SHOWCASE OF WHAT IT IS TO BE A SUCCESSFUL, MODERN MUSLIM COUNTRY.
CLIKHERE FOR FULL TEXT.
What is spiritual leadeship??. Spiritual leadership is not the same as military leadership, political leadership or corporate leadership! This is not to say that there are no similarities between spiritual leadership and these other kinds of leadership. There are certain elements common to all types of leadership. Furthermore, the good qualities of military leadership, political leadership or corporate leadership can certainly be in line with Islam or any riligious values.