Machinations of the deep Islamic state

Malaysiakini:

'Those with a moral deficit put on a good show, and sleep like a baby'

by S Thayaparan

"Those with a moral deficit put on a good show, and sleep like a baby"

- Paul Newman

The prime minister's "joke" about how it may be a good idea for nightclubs and pubs to remain closed because it is difficult to have "social distancing" in these venues points to the kind of religious and moral pandering that goes in this Malay uber alles government.

The punchline, of course, is that Malaysians have been most at risk in this pandemic because of "religious" people who, for some odd reason, believed that they do not owe their fellow citizens a moral obligation when it came to self-quarantining or even reporting their condition to the relevant authorities.

The fact is that religious extremists in this country use any opportunity to further racial and religious divisions in this country. They neither care about the economic impact nor social cohesion, only that the superiority of their dogma is imposed on the unbelievers.

The fact that this pandemic has caused great damage to the food and beverages industry goes without saying. What must be said is that the reason why KL's nightlife is such a draw to locals and foreigners is because of the diverse ethnic and cultural influences that somehow manage to transverse the urban borders into rural areas.

With social media, this becomes more dangerous because a monocultural and religious way of life is the prefered method of political indoctrination.

In chiding Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Khairuddin Aman Razali, who apparently did not think what the PM said was a joke, Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh reminded the fact-challenged minister that:

"…Has he thought about taxes that the government collects from the tourism and entertainment industries which have contributed to the development of the country for years? It is obvious that Khairuddin has not thought about any of the above despite having the resources to do so now that he is a minister."

Khairuddin also talked about following the voice of the majority, which Ramkarpal had a rebuttal for but this is indicative of how some people – non-Muslims in this case – would follow the diktats of fascistic power structures because it neatly aligns with their moral beliefs.

This is until they realise that their support has devastating consequences when the "majority" suddenly turns on them by attacking what they hold sacred or profane.

Of course, someone like PAS president Hadi Awang and academic Ridhuan Tee Abdullah would applaud this move.

In 2016, Ridhuan (above) publically wrote of his dream to see a "Chinese" lead PAS or Umno. He noted how Christian organisations had no qualms appointing a Chinese Christian with the right credentials, but this was not the same with Islamic institutions and government positions, which are dominated by the Malays.

"So don't be disappointed if more Chinese embrace Christianity instead of Islam. Our actions are too racist. We talk a lot about Islam, but our actions are very Malay (in nature). (So) what unity are we talking about?" he had said to Sinar Harian.

It would be helpful if Ridhaun parsed the difference between "Malay" and "Muslim" actions because we have been told that being Malay and being Muslim is not mutually exclusive. For instance, when the prime minister of Malaysia makes a "joke" in a Malay uber alles conference, would there be a difference between what a "non-Malay" Muslim would think of the joke and a "Malay" Muslim?

In the same Sinar Harian article mentioned above, Ridhuan said that there was a lot "we" could learn from them.

"Yes, I too criticise the ultra kiasu Chinese. But for the Chinese who are successful, and not enemies of Islam, we have to learn from them. But we look down upon them, especially the Cina mualaf (those who converted to Islam)," he had said.

Of course by "we", does he mean Malay Muslims or Muslims in general?

Is there a difference between the average Joe Malay rakyat and those "rich and well connected" Malays who, on social media, have pictures and videos of themselves luxuriating in excess?


Machinations of the deep Islamic state

As far as I can tell, the difference between religious Chinese – whatever their belief systems, with the exception of Islam, that is – is that they do not seek to curtail the secular activities of others. This kind of thinking might be for economic reasons, but who really cares about their motives if the end result is diverse communities that coexist amicably.

What we are talking about here is the machinations of the deep Islamic state. The "deep Islamic state" is a result of the vast religious bureaucracy, the doctrinal teachings of propaganda endeavours like the Biro Tatanegara (BTN), the religious education system and foreign influence, either through education or experience in foreign theatres of war.

What we are talking about here are "travellers" who enjoy the support, either knowingly or unknowingly, of the Malay/Muslim political apparatus in this country, who believe they are setting the religious agenda, but in reality, are being manipulated by fascist elements with agendas of their own.

What better time to weaken our public and private spheres than during a pandemic? The movement control order was the perfect opportunity to curtail commercial activities that the deep Islamic state deems to be antithetical to the concept of an authentic Islamic state.

The ludicrous idea that the lack of social distancing in these venues is more harmful than the lack of social distancing at religious events points to the cynicism and exploitation of this pandemic to serve religious agendas because the PM is in a weak political position.

Another example is the idea of restricting, or worse, alcohol licences because of the apparent scourge of drink driving. Never mind that the statistics on drink driving demonstrate that there are far greater dangers to Malaysians road users.

The agenda of the religious state since Perikatan Nasional achieved power, is to ensure that non-Muslims are subject to Islamic dogma, whether they like it or not.

It is just that low hanging fruit, like alcohol licences, pubs and nightclubs, are easier overt targets. The idea is that they will have enough non-Muslim support who are duped into this scam – for whatever reasons - and then to normalise the agenda of the Islamic state.

Ultimately the joke will always be on us.



S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. A retired barrister-at-law, he hopes young people will assume the mantle of leadership – if there is to be any hope for this country