Support BN and we will have another Taliban government in Malaysia

Ikim backs scholars against Anwar

By Adib Zalkapli

December 15, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 — Islam says that not all religions are equal, the federal government's main religious think tank Ikim clarified today, as Umno-linked scholars began an attack on Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for promoting religious pluralism.

The Institute of Islamic Understanding's (Ikim) statement comes just a day after a forum organised by Islamic scholars accused the opposition leader of equating Islam with other religions for political mileage.

The forum was heavily-promoted by Umno’s Utusan Malaysia today with stories suggesting that religious pluralism was a threat to Islam and claiming that Anwar was pushing for other religions to be placed on an equal footing with Islam.

The newspaper said that those who question the position of Islam and the Malays were practitioners of religious pluralism, in what appears to be a move to suggest that Anwar’s rejection of Umno’s “ketuanan Melayu” concept is unIslamic.

Anwar and other PKR leaders recently spoke up against Umno’s concept of “ketuanan Melayu” as a fraudulent ideology meant to prop up the ruling Malay party.

“Islam rejects religious pluralism that claims all religions to be equally good and truthful,” said Ikim in a statement issued through state news agency Bernama today.

The think-tank’s statement made no mention of Anwar but appears to support views reported in Utusan Malaysia today.

Religious pluralism is sometimes used as a synonym for interfaith dialogue or promotes understanding of different faiths with the objective of reducing conflicts.

Critics of religious pluralism however see the concept as a threat to the supremacy of Islam and claim that it would result in the religion to be equated with other beliefs.

Today Ikim said that while Islam acknowledges the existence of good values in other religions, no faith should be subjected to ridicule.

“Outstanding issues between believers of different faiths should be resolved in a fair manner and in the spirit of mutual respect to universal religious values,” said Ikim.

“Believers of the various faiths must also compete in doing good deeds, like helping the poor and those in need,” it added.

Ikim also said that diversity in religious traditions should be used to encourage unity among people of different faiths.

At an Islamic forum yesterday, some Muslim scholars claimed that over emphasised on religious tolerance would result in the acceptance of religious pluralism.

The forum also issued reminders to other Muslim leaders, including Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, to refrain from attending other religious celebrations, claiming that it would threaten the position of Islam as a supreme religion.

A speaker at the forum, UKM’s Nur Fahana Abd Rahman even asked federal Islamic authorities Jakim to issue a guideline to prevent Muslims from celebrating other religious celebrations, calling it an element of religious pluralism.

Apart from Muafakat, the forum was also supported by government agencies such as the Selangor Islamic department (Jais), Federal Territory Mufti Department, federal Islamic missionary foundation (Yadim) and Information Ministry’s Special Affairs Department (Jasa).

MI