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JUNE 12 — I refer to PAS’s resolution on SIS recently. PAS is entitled to hold such a view. However, I can’t get over the feeling that PAS seems to be picking and choosing without any consistency. The notion of Islamic, and right or wrong, seems to be switching according to the leaders’ whims and fancies.

Before I elaborate, I truly believe that the backlash against PAS recently is due to its insistence on a unity government. Unfortunately everything that PAS does, due to the “Islamic” label it places on itself, tends to be a reflection on Islam to the public at large.

Following the last GE, PAS, with people like Nizar, Husam and Khalid Samad, has shown that it has what it takes to lead, and the general public especially the non-Muslims should not be afraid as, above all, PAS will uphold the universal concepts of equity and fairness. However, the unity government issue has caused an erosion of confidence in PAS. How can a party that is purportedly acting in the name of Islam, “backstab” (in very loose terms) its Pakatan partners for BN? This is the same BN which PAS had condemned to be “un-islamic” due to the corruption, nepotism, cronyism, abuse of power (the list is too long but you should get what I mean).

PAS did not stop there, then it went on to support and re-affirm the 30 per cent Bumiputera equity requirement? How does that have anything to do with Islam?

On the issue of SIS, all of a sudden, PAS has found faith in the BN government religious organs by calling on them to ban SIS when in the past, it has openly criticised such organisations to be mere lackeys to their political masters. Is it a sign that in the event it is in power, PAS will strengthen organs like the National Fatwa Committee which even today seems to be quite free from criticism (as if it is from a non-Muslim, it has nothing to do with them or they are being anti-Islam, and if from a Muslim then it is ignorant as the person is not well-versed with the religion as the members in the fatwa committee).

Anyway, putting aside the issue of SIS’s fundamental rights in a democracy, what is “liberal” Islam? Why is it that PAS takes issue with SIS using Islam in its name but does not mind organisations like Persatuan Pengguna Islam that always come out in support of the BN government on non-religious issues such as Bumiputera rights?

I was happy initially the way some people in PAS embraced the concept of a civil society. However, if the last muktamar is anything to go by, PAS has still a long way to go. It seems no better than Umno or BN. And the scariest part is that with Umno and BN, they can’t really hide behind the religion. I agree that Islam is not adverse to opposing views but unfortunately as can be seen from history is that Islam (and all other main religions for that matter) has been misused and abused by the ever infallible man (or woman). Religion has been used to justify mass murder and other heinous atrocities time and again. The fear is that with PAS, it’s ever so easy to run the slogan “Anti-PAS = Anti-Islam” or that discussions can only be held by the learned ulamak as the rest of us are not equipped with the knowledge to understand certain things.

The last thing I want is for this country to be another Iran. — loyarburok.com