The fallacy of liberal Islam
Raja Petra Kamarudin, Malaysia Outlook
“Asri attacks missing Amri, says Shia Islam threatens ‘national security’,” reported Free Malaysia Today. The news report went on to say:
Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin today launched an attack on Amri Che Mat, a day after the missing activist’s wife named his state fatwa office and Islamic authorities as among those she suspected of involvement in her husband’s disappearance. Asri said Amri was a Shia Muslim who practised mut’ah, a form of contract marriage not recognised in Malaysia, which can be summarily ended with the consent of both sides.
Yesterday, Amri’s wife Norhayati Ariffin told the inquiry that Asri was part of a team of some 20 policemen and officers from the Perlis Mufti Department, who arrived at their home in 2015 to question Amri and the activities of Perlis Hope. Asri admitted he was part of the team of officers, but said that he had gone there peacefully.
The Perlis mufti, Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin a.k.a. Maza, is said to the most liberal mufti out of the 14 muftis of Malaysia. (The Perak mufti is said to be the most conservative and very controversial in his views and statements).
Anyway, the point is Maza is supposed to the most liberal of the 14 muftis and yet he is still very conservative as far as the other sects of Islam is concerned. Maza has been accused of being a Wahhabi Muslim, an allegation which he denies. However, those who have gone to Perlis to pray in the mosques there know that in Perlis they pray Wahhabi-style. So, the ‘evidence’ seems to point to the possibility that Perlis Muslims are Wahhabis.
Anyway, Wahhabis hate Shias more than they hate Jews. That is why Iran and Saudi Arabia are mortal enemies and both countries finance civil wars in other Muslim countries that involve Sunnis versus Shias. Most of the trouble in the Middle East is sectarian Islam related.
The point of all this is there is no such thing as liberal Islam or liberal Muslims, as what we are being led to believe. By nature, Muslims are intolerant of views that contradict their own beliefs. Even so-called liberal muftis such as Maza will never accept Muslims drinking, living together outside wedlock, indulging in gay unions, leaving Islam to become atheists, etc. In fact, he cannot even accept Muslims of different sects.
Liberal Islam or liberal Muslims is a fallacy. Why they keep perpetuating this myth of liberal Islam or liberal Muslims is beyond me. It is as fake as Santa or the tooth fairy. The only reason they keep talking about liberal Islam or liberal Muslims is so that they can say the other group are extremist Muslims because when you have liberals then you must have extremists as well.
