Malaysia's Moderate Muslims Call For Sharia Law Reform

Extremist Muslims have been taking center stage in what's supposed to be a secular democratic Malaysia, and the moderates are finally taking a stand.

[snip] An open letter urging a rational discussion on religion signed by 25 former senior servants and addressed to Prime Minister Najib Razak has gained popular support. The group, which came to be known as the “prominent 25,” is petitioning Najib to lead a peaceful dialogue about the application of Islamic laws in Malaysia.

The letter raised several issues concerning what they think is the excessive and unfair implementation of the shariah law in many aspects of governance. They questioned why some religious bodies are “asserting authority beyond their jurisdiction,” such as in the issuance of various fatwa that violate the Federal Constitution. They also cited the indifference of authorities over the “rise of supremacist NGOs accusing dissenting voices of being anti-Islam, anti-monarchy and anti-Malay.” And they pointed out how the Sedition Act “hangs as a constant threat to silence anyone with a contrary opinion.”

“These developments undermine Malaysia’s commitment to democratic principles and rule of law, breed intolerance and bigotry, and have heightened anxieties over national peace and stability,” they added in the letter.

They wanted Najib to “assert his personal leadership” in reviewing the implementation of Islamic laws in the country: “Those who act in the name of Islam through the administration of Islamic law must bear the responsibility of demonstrating that justice is done, and is seen to be done.”

In recent years, some hardcore Islamic and nationalist Malay leaders inside Malaysia’s ruling coalition have successfully lobbied the government to act against perceived threats to Islam and the dominance of the Malays in the affairs of the country. Those who opposed or criticized their views are often accused of conspiring to undermine either Islam or the state.

They have support from activists and academics who were ignored or chastised in the past for their criticism of religious intolerance. And support from others who were too fearful to speak out.

After the letter went viral in the cyberspace, other moderate voices were encouraged to speak out against religious and racial discrimination. Ninety-three NGOs declared support for the letter signers. They were joined by the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism, which praised the group for drafting the letter. Internet users circulated online petitions using the Twitter hashtags #KamiJuga25 (We are also 25) and “I am #26” to show support for the stand taken by the group of 25, “by standing together in solidarity as #26.”

No response from the government. Yet. But as expected some of the radical elements have piped in.

I wish them luck, because the hardcore Islamists aren't going to give up their fight for supremacy that easily.

Moderate Muslims Have Same Beliefs As Radicals- Video

At a conference of so-called 'moderate Muslims' the moderator asks the audience of males if they are "normal Muslims" not extremists. They all raise their hands.  He then asks how many agree that men and women should "sit separate."  They all raise their hands.  He then asks how many agree that the punishments set forth in the Quran and Sunnah, like death by stoning, death for homosexuality etc, is "the best punishment for humankind," and that it should be applied throughout the world. All raise their hands. He then asks if they are all radical extremists. They laugh.

In other words, they do not think differently than extremists, and this should worry us.

Liveleak Video here.

H/T: Tarek Fatah, who says this is a Norwegian Islamist.

Muslim Zuhdi Jasser Condemns Obama's ISIS Is Not Islamic Statement

You might know Dr. Zuhdi Jasser from his stint as the narrator on the Clarion Fund's 2008 documentary film "The Third Jihad"- but he's also a medical doctor, a former US Navy officer, a devout Muslim, and a fierce opponent of political Islam or Islamism.

After so many people including Barack Obama, John Kerry, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest have stated that ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and Levant) aka ISIS aka Islamic State is neither a state nor does it represent Islam, Jasser felt compelled to respond.

In the interview below Jasser tells them all to "stop telling us Muslims what is Islamic."  He claims ISIS is "the byproduct" of the ideology of oppressive Muslim nations like Saudi Arabia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran.  Obama is "burying the reformers from having a seat at the table" by enabling Islamic theocrats.

Jasser wants to reform Islam, to separate mosque and state, he believes Muslims have a problem and they need to "own" it, people like Obama and Kerry are making that very difficult.

We need more like Jasser speaking up.



Source: Western Free Press

Pakistani Professor Accused Of Blasphemy Gunned Down

This is what happens to "moderate" or "liberal" Muslims who have the courage to buck the conservative Muslim line.

A Pakistani academic known for promoting liberal views on Islam has been shot dead by gunmen – two years after being accused of committing blasphemy in a speech he made in the US.

Dr Muhammad Shakil Auj, Dean of the faculty of Islamic Studies at the University of Karachi, was attacked by two gunmen on a motorbike as he was making his way in his car to a function at the city’s Iranian cultural centre. A junior teaching colleague was also hit and suffered an injury to her arm.

“A bullet pierced through his head, proving fatal,” senior police officer Pir Mohammad Shah told the Associated Press. “We are investigating the killing. It would be premature to state the motive at the moment.”

The 54-year academic was known as someone who had spoken out on many issues in Islam and written several articles. One of the articles had suggested Muslim women should be allowed to marry non-Muslim men. He had also said Muslim women did not need to remove lipstick or make-up before going to prayer.

In 2012, Mr Auj, 54, had complained to police that four colleagues from the university had threatened him and sent him text messages accusing him of blasphemy. They had claimed a speech he had made that year in the US amounted to blasphemy.

One of the academics he complained about had previously held his position within the department. The four men face charges but are currently out on bail, according to reports.

More on Independent UK.

Muslims Rally In Norway Against ISIS

Thousands of Muslims rallied in Oslo, Norway, against Islamic State extremists.

Norway’s prime minister and other politicians have joined Muslim leaders and thousands of other people for a demonstration in Oslo against radical Islamists.

Monday’s rally was an initiative by young Norwegian Muslims who wanted to show a united front against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq and their sympathizers in Norway.

Mehtab Afshar, head of the Islamic Council in Norway, told the crowd: “They stand for terrorism, they stand for terror ... and we condemn that in the strongest terms.”

The Muslims were joined by Norway's Prime Minister.

It's a start. But more Muslims in other countries need to be doing this.

French Imams Reaching Out- Visit Drancy Holocaust Memorial and Israel

In France, where anti-Semitism flourishes, dozens of  French Imams took a trip to the Holocaust Memorial at Drancy  (a suburb of Paris) on February 4th this year to pay tribute to the almost 70,000 French Jews who were deported to Germany from the internment camp located in Drancy. About 17 of those Imams had visited Israel in December, and last March some went to Israel to pray for the children that Mohamed Merah massacred in Toulouse.  The visit was to show the French people that not all Muslims are extremists, and that the religion is one of peace and tolerance. It's hard for many to believe that, with all the violence perpetrated in the name of Islam, and the reluctance on the part of Muslims to integrate into Western society. According to the Le Monde's IPSOS poll, 74% of the French population believe that Islam is incompatible with French values.  Hassen Chalghoumi, the imam of the mosque in Drancy is trying to change that perception.

Of Tunisian heritage Chalghoumi backed the burqa/niqab ban. He has also been actively pursuing dialogue with Jews, in spite of death threats.  Chalghoumi actually agreed with then President Sarkozy's assertion that "The burqa is not a religious sign, it's a sign of subservience, a sign of debasement..", and that France ".. cannot accept that women be prisoners behind a screen, cut off from all social life, deprived of all identity,"and therefore they are not welcome in France.

Although he didn't agree with all the proposed provisions of the ban- including fining women for wearing the veil, or cutting off their child support payments- he definitely agreed that immigrant women who wear the veil should not be given citizenship. In 2010, he told Le Parisien:

"Yes, I am for a legal ban of the burqa, which has no place in France, a country where women have been voting since 1945."

"...full face veils had no basis in Islam and "belong to a tiny minority tradition reflecting an ideology that scuttles the Muslim religion."

"The burqa is a prison for women, a tool of sexist domination and Islamist indoctrination." 

"Having French nationality means wanting to take part in society, at school, at work," he said.

"But with a bit of cloth over their faces, what can these women share with us? If they want to wear the veil, they can go to a country where it's the tradition, like Saudi Arabia."

In this 2011 interview on Al Arabiya TV, Chalghoumi discusses how Islam has become a religion of extremism which denies women their rights. For his outspoken condemnation of extremism he walks around with police escorts.

It's too bad that he's only one voice being drowned out in a sea of politically correct voices that are too afraid to say "this is our country, adapt or get out."  It's too bad he's only one man attempting to dialogue with Jews in a bid to create peace on this planet. It's too bad he's being threatened with death because of those attempts. I commend him for having the courage to buck the Islamic 'religious' system, and standing up for human rights. If he is indeed sincere in that quest.