Reading the hotly contested debate on the case of Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno,wether it is right to cane her or taking it as a wrongdoings of human rights,there occurs a lot of individualistic views voice out by the public.
I have been reading a lot of comments given by the reader's of Malaysia's most popular blogs,Malaysia Today and from my experience,the reader involve on the debate are mostly Malaysian who didn't understand the concept of execution in Islam.But that is not the main reason why I wrote this (hopefully not too long) letter.My main drive of writing this piece is a direct response on the article written by P.Gunasegaram published in The Star called
"No to Whipping for Drinking."I am a strong believer of equal rights for all.I am also a strong believer in unity of our people.But from a personal understanding and point of view,I would really like to ask all Malaysian to unite under one beliefs of the nation but please,pretty please,for religious issues,we should have some sort of barrier among us.
Religion is a sensitive issues.As a Muslim,I do felt badly insulted when a non-Muslim is trying to voice out their opinion on this issues.This is religion that we are talking about.Not just some talks of breaking the dividing walls for patriotic spirits or unity towards a better Malaysia.This is religion,a very sensitive issues for us Muslim and when someone who are not Muslim trying to justify that she did not have to be cane just because it is her rights to drink beer,the only things that you are trying to do is making the Muslim community becoming more and more incensed.
For us Muslim,religion is above everything else.
I am not a good Muslim,that is a facts that I am trying to remedy but try to understand that Islam may looks extreme from the outside but when you are inside the circle of faith,drinking beer is one of the greatest sins that a Muslim should try to avoid.There is a hadith saying the effects of drinking a drop of alcohol means that for every good deeds you done will not be counted at all by our God for the next 40 days.One drop for 40 days,can you imagine how long it takes for us to repent if a Muslim drinks a can of beer?
Barbaric?Yes.The execution does looks barbaric and old school.But if a good Muslim do believe the Hudud law,this means that the sins that have been committed can be repent while they are alive.If she strongly feel that by getting canned can make her escape the punishment on the afterlife,she will be happy to be canned now.
And the author also wrote about giving a let off for 2 consenting adults who are committing an adultery?How ashamed am I reading that.I don't think Islam is the only religion who barred their followers for adultery,even Christian beliefs on that,I am not so sure about Buddhist and Hindu's.No sex before marriage,no sex before marriage,that's the mantra,right?There is a reason for that if the author understand the concept of religion and it is simple,we do not want a child to be born onto this world without a proper parents.That is common sense.
You can talk about human rights and the needs for everyone who have their own privacy.Yes,it is true.But when a Muslim man do have sex with a Muslim woman who are not his married wife,in Islam,that is already an invasion of privacy of the woman's body.
Muslim nowadays are too protected by the secularist law.That is why many Muslim are not scared to commit sins anymore.We rape somebody,we go to jail.We steal something,we go to jail.We kill somebody,we go to jail first before we die.Have sex with another girl outside the ring of marriage,pay some fine or go to jail for a while.Caught drinking beer,go to the bank,take out some money and pay the fine.That is what is wrong with the secular law in a Muslim life.
Muslim's are not scared anymore.They don't fear their God's as they are more afraid of paying the fine.We need to be scared of committing sins if we want to strive to become a better Muslim and that is the reason Islamic law is archaic,it creates the fear a Muslim scared of.
Don't worry about the international pressure.They will not understand as they are scared of the Muslim's world.They already have a fixed view on what Islam is all about,for them Islam is not guarding a person rights to live how they wanted,Islam is a barbaric religion.Yes.Islam is barbaric but the rewards for following the set of rule is unlimited.
We can start somewhere and try to understand more about each other religion.We could even start it here in our beloved country (love the land,hate the government).Try to understand first why she did agree on the punishment.But before we try to start to learn and understand about others belief,give the Muslim's authority in Malaysia to clear their mind's first about these niggling issues.It is a shameful act as they are still divided on this issues.
We can make a better Malaysia.We can be a better nation.For our country,I do feel we have to unite as one.But for our religion's and belief's,please,try to put some barrier first before shouting your voice.We need that barrier and we all should recognize that barrier before somebody else start to shoot themselves again in the foot.Try not to press on other religion button's too much.My religion is my religion and your's vice versa. A good Muslim will never criticize the way other people practiced their religion.Do keep it to yourselves if you feel that Islamic teaching is mistreating their followers.We are like that because we believe in that.
What is needed now is not a comments that could change a religious issue into a Holy War.What we need now is how to go against a corrupted government.If you have comment on those issues,I will gladly hear it out all night long.
We need more strong opinion on that issue as it is already past overdue.