UMNO’s Islamization

A few days ago Chua Soi Lek came out with statements decrying UMNO's attempts to compete with PAS to show who's more Islamic between them. He was expressing concern that an UMNO reengineered on Islam will slow down our progress. Presumably he has read Syed Akbar Ali's Club of Doom. Everywhere he reads, progress has slowed down where Islam is on the rise.

But he is also sending the message to UMNO leaders- the problems faced by UMNO and this country shouldn't be solved by asking the wrong question- the problems we faced are not caused by less or more Islam. Khir Toyo who came out strongly to condemn Chua should not react as if to show he is championing the cause of Islam now. Would Khir Toyo like it if we say that the problems faced by Selangor now, is the result of him being less Islamic when he was the MB?

Why don't we own up the fact, that our social problems, our economic problems and our political problems have nothing to do with our religion but more with the policies we crafted and imposed on society?

Chua Soi lek must have been severely criticized by UMNO leaders leading him to backtrack and MCA to downplay Chua's opinions. But we all know, UMNO's sudden affinity with Islam is for show. Not that UMNO isn't Islamic, but we don't have to play the game of brinkmanship. UMNO stands for moderation. Chua is partly right to sound out that UMNO does not have to compete in that area. When it comes to Islam, UMNO doesn't have to be more spoon that the spadle. But Chua is making it appear that UMNO's Islam is a Talibanised version. If I were Chua Soi Lek, I wouldn't be overly disturbed by the scathing criticism by UMNO leaders nor would be overly ruffled by UMNO's Islamic tendencies.

The issue here I think is about Islam. Perhaps the MCA leader has been reading too much horror stories about Islam. And I won't also be overjoyed that Lim Guan Eng came out as though to defend that Islam isn't that bad as Soi Lek imagined it to be. Maybe Guan Eng is playing politics to show he is more sympathetic to Islam than MCA and Soi Lek.

Let's forget the game these politicians play. Let's see the state of Islam.
After 911, Islam is looked at differently. It is fashionable anywhere in the world, especially so in the west to condemn anything related to Islam and its people. Hence Europe has been referred to as Eurabia- expressing concern that European countries are overwhelmed by Muslim Immigrants. London becomes Londonistan. Jacques Chirac in one of his campaign forays told of how his Frenchmen were driven mad by the noise and smell of the immigrant father next door with 3 or 4 wives, 20 kids living off welfare payments without working. D' Estaing later even went further by trying to rescind France's policy of giving citizenship based on jus soli to have it replaced with the principle of jus sanguinis ( by bloodline). Imagine if this principle were to be applied in Malaysia, many of our leaders will not qualify as Malaysian citizens. The Chinese and Indians will never get citizenship. Dr Mahathir will not have qualified as Malay citizen.

Why is Chua Soi lek fearful of the Islamization of UMNO? Probably because he has read too many horror stories about Islamic radicalism. Unfortunately the ascendancy of Islam has also been marked with an ascendancy on tragic events. In London, the bombing of the underground station, The Madrid commuter attacks, the Paris Riots, the cartoon crisis in Denmark.

It is fashionable to equate Islam and Muslims as backward, unemployed, criminal and generally disengaged from rational political process. People say Muslims want power through violent means instead of rational political process. I have only one problem- how can people deemed to be backward, disengaged, lazy suddenly and inexplicably become strong so as to cause fear among others?
Chua is guilty with those who repeat the canard that Islam has brought de-progress whenever Islam is made the dominant motivational force. Hence his fears that UMNO wants to be more Islamic. More than PAS. He fears he will get stoned to death.
Let's see Soi Lek's thinking on this Islam issue a bit further. Perhaps what Chua is really saying is, Malaysia does not have to be overly Islamic because by being more Islamic this country will suffer in terms of progress. He accepts the general observations that none of the Muslim countries in the world has become a first world country. He is presumed aware of the statistics of under progress in Islamic countries- literacy rate, low income, idleness and so forth.

It is ironic that these are the same features that are used and perhaps can still be used to described Malays in Malaysia. Could it be then, Chua's criticisms are also veiled criticisms about Malays who happened to also be Muslims? Then Chua's attacks on Muslims and Islam in general can be re interpreted as criticisms on the cultural practices of Malays in particular. That really, the root causes as to why Malays achieved less progress are because of their cultural practices.
And of course the religion of Islam play a crucial role in Malay culture to such an extent that people like Chua himself is able to hold the view that to the Malay their religion is at the center of any discussion as if the only thing that defines their political convictions, their votes, their relationship with their neighbors, with people of other religions is their ability to pigeon-hole everything into halal and haram. And Chua Soil Lek fears, an UMNO re-defined in terms of fundamentalist Islam will haram everything.

While Chua's fears are legitimate( as he sees evidence of under-progress everywhere in the Muslim world) they are also flawed. They are because, the thought of blaming Islam for Malays under-progress is far too simplistic to stand the test of reality. It is as simplistic as the arguments peddled by the Muslim right wing which is that Islam and more Islam is for whatever ails Muslims. Wasn't it Khir Toyo who said that UMNO lost because we were not Islamic enough. I suppose being Islamic enough will allow us to own RM 18 million homes.

Perhaps what Chua Soi Lek didn't say was the march toward more Islam can be a threat to secularization and modernity. The threat may come in the form of spiritual tawdriness- that everything needs to be dovetailed into halal and haram things which to Chua and even modern minded Muslims can have debilitating effects. Soi Lek fails to appreciate that Muslims in general reject spiritual tawdriness if that term means Muslims use their religion as excuses not to cultivate themselves. Even PAS came out to reject Chua's statements which implied that Islam is anti progress.

Like many others Chua Soi Lek is quick to decry the problems that are caused by Muslims but is slower to identify the problems they face in their march towards modernity and progress. Similarly in our local context, we are quick to publicize the problems caused by Malays but slower to talk about the problems Malays faced.