LETTER | Let's all cast aside politics and re-discover beauty of Islam

LETTER | Is Malaysia losing out on becoming a model beacon for Islam?

As we evaluate the way our politicians, lawmakers, and jaguh kampungs have been meddling with Islam, there is much reason to worry.

Of late, especially these past years, we have witnessed how Islam is being 'protected' (undermined) by all those unanointed politicians and those with pledged patronage to political ambitions.

The concerns have even drawn the palaces to issue warnings after warnings to not politicise the beauty and glory of Islam.

But unfortunately, all of these sound advice, concerns, and fears do not seem to take root.

Narrow alleys

Instead, we are witnessing the cries to seemingly protect Islam growing with incessant calls for laws, admonishments, and fears being driven into the followers of Islam.

Muslims here are being fast driven into narrow alleys of prejudices, fears, and extreme interpretations of the religion.

The signs and symptoms are out there taking shape right under our eyes - they are taking precedence over substance and the universal tenets of Islam in the contemporary world.

Malaysia as a multi-racial, multi-religious nation has all the unique advantages to bring Islam to greater heights.

Malaysia has all the means through the track record of goodwill and tolerance of its people to draw the non-Muslims as well as other theocratic nations to re-discover the beauty of Islam.

Pull the brakes

Malaysia has a long history of how our sultans have been playing an instrumental role in protecting Islam with their sense of moderation, compassion, and ability to embrace changes for the benefit of Muslims in the country.

Unfortunately, our politicians through their own instruments of power and diabolical intent are increasingly succeeding in isolating Muslims from the rest of the population.

Increasingly we are witnessing the marginalisation of a religion that was gifted to the entire world.

We see extremism and politically slanted or political Islam rooting fast in the country.

Today the fears of an imminent 'Green Wave', for example, clearly attests that Islam is being weaponised for power and control.

All this must stop now or we will suffer further isolation from the progressing world.

We must pull the brakes now or witness further erosion and undermining of all the noble institutions of past decades that made Islam a beacon in this part of the region.

We must not let political Islam tarnish and weaken the beauty of Islam.

Unfortunately, there are too many examples, instances, and policies being chiselled these past years indicating that we may be losing our lead advantage of a moderate Islam that brings more humans to embrace and celebrate the beauty of a religion that is well-accepted in many parts of the non-Islamic nations.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.