My roots as a Tamil Muslim and the MIC interfaith event

FMT:

My roots as a Tamil Muslim and the MIC interfaith event

I must be allowed to live as a Tamil Muslim without being subjected to the customs and practices of the Malays.





“No one is more hated than he who speaks the truth.” 

- (Plato)

Any country that respects kleptocrats, roadside politicians, people with religious concerns, unethical members of the legal industry and their like will no doubt hate a person who speaks any truth that relates to their self-interest, and will move to fix or destroy him.

My father was a Tamil Muslim of the Hanafi sect. Although born in India, he became the subject of the Ruler of Johor before Merdeka.

I myself was born in Thopputhurai, Vedarnyam in Tamil Nadu.

It was to my misfortune that my father decided to take me out of my mother’s custody and away from what was then a palatial residence to bring me here at the age of five.

His only purpose was that he wanted me to be an exemplary Malaysian.

There are some differences in the customary practices of Tamil Muslims in India and those of the Malays in Malaysia.

In India, Tamils who profess Islam, a minority religion, are closely connected with members of the community who profess other faiths. Tamil Muslims do mingle at ceremonies and functions of the other faiths, and for certain events have Islamic versions of those function and ceremonies.

In India, Tamil Muslims go without hesitation to temples, churches and other places of worship, not to partake in the worship but simply to grace an occasion whenever invited. It is part of the peaceful co-existence and survival of the community itself.

Such courtesies are mutual in nature. In essence, Tamil Muslims are inextricably interwoven with the entire Tamil community irrespective of what faith each person professes.

It is extremely rare to hear in India that such practices are un-Islamic. The late President of India, Abdul Kalam, was an exemplary Tamil Muslim who showed how Muslims should behave in a multi-racial and multi-religious country like India.

If what Abdul Kalam could do as a Tamil Muslim in India cannot be done in Malaysia, then the matter warrants to be studied further, not made the subject of harassment or demeaning action or proceedings by the authorities.

I reside in Malaysia on the premise that the Malay Rulers will protect me as per the constitutional guarantees and allow me to live as a Tamil Muslim without the need to be subjected to, and to follow, the customs and practices of the Malays.

I am, after all, an Indian, and was once an MIC member, but after completing my studies in the law, I decided not to participate in politics. Instead, I began my journey as a lawyer with social justice and the dissemination of knowledge as my key goals.

By the age of 21, I became a member of the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Johor Bahru and a committee member assisting the board of trustees of the Jalan Duke Tamil Muslim mosque. The board was chaired by the late Dato Wahid, an MIC leader and, in later years, a senator.

Throughout my time in JB, the mosque continued with the practices of Tamil Muslims as usually performed in Tamil Nadu, including the Maulaud recitation in honour of great imams and scholars respected as saints in the literal sense.

I take the view that technically every movable and immovable asset of the MIC contains the sweat and proprietary rights of all people of Indian origin, a substantial contribution of which comes from the Tamil Muslim community in Malaysia.

Having gone through basic religious education, and having attained multiple qualifications, including being admitted as a Barrister, having done advance papers in Islamic law, holding an LLM from the University of London, two postgraduate diplomas in shariah law and practice and Islamic banking, and a Ph.D. in civil procedure, and having written many books, articles and judgments, I find it shocking that thanksgiving prayers to the Almighty cannot be conducted on land common to Indians of all religions which the MIC is technically holding in trust for the entire Indian community notwithstanding they may not themselves be members of the political party, including myself.

I do not claim to be a religious scholar, and in any case, that is not a condition precedent to being a Muslim. Neither do I want to be converted into a religious scholar to continue practising the Islamic faith in Malaysia.

I do not seek to do everything the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) did as I am not seeking to attain prophethood. Neither do I desire or have the energy or power to ride a horse or camel, or be trained in the techniques of war to govern a country or play any part in politics, etc.

In fact, I am not sure what percentage of Malaysian Muslims can ride a camel and horse, as the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) did, to lead righteous and productive lives as per the sunnah and hadiths of the prophet.

I am also not one of those selected to achieve the goals set out in the Holy Quran. Neither am I interested in converting non-Muslims to Islam.

Instead, if I can achieve the implementation of University cum Court Annexed Arbitration in the global court system which, in essence, has its roots in all faiths, and particularly in the Quran which commands that disputes must be settled by arbitration or mediation, then my purpose in life would be complete.

Sadly, it is so difficult to get a response from the Madani government and policymakers and to even be issued with a reference number (nombor rujukan) for the letter sent by my team which I have raised in several articles. Is that the efficiency level of the government of the day?

It will be an added blessing for me if I can live to see that the Muslims here can achieve the distinction of making us a corrupt-free nation, a core command of the Quran, or at least make sure the legal industry is meritocratic and imbued with ethics, and not seen as a paradise for single-degree holders.

I hope one day to meet a Malay scholar from the bar, judiciary or academia who can match my string of qualifications, writings and skillset as set out in my CV before my demise.

None of these were secured as a full-time scholar in any university in the technical sense. Unlike the sciences, accounting and other disciplines, law qualifications are easy to get and can be done through home study.

I do not say any of this in arrogance.

The legal industry must have knowledge in law to uphold the law and the constitution in order to protect the interest of all Malaysians.

They must have the ability and the desire to charge the givers, aiders and abetters who have corrupted our Malay leaders over the last 40 or more years, weakened the economy and compromised social justice and the personal financial strength of every Malaysian.

It is not religion which can administer the country.

It is knowledge and skill which can make Malaysia a great nation, not forgetting that the compliance of faith by the respective persons is also important.