A Matter of Legalism versus The Human Conscience

The hudud debate is potentially an intellectual conundrum that frames Malaysia' current problems into Muslim and non-Muslim issues. (Just as Obama probably intended in his widely publicised comments at the University Malaya. Imagine the predictable public responses if he told an American audience that Christians should not be prejudiced against non-Christians.)

We should not see this debate as some kind of national referendum (starting with Kelantan) which can be decided by a simple majority vote just as one would simply decide whether or not to vote for capital punishment versus the abolishment of the death penalty. We need to probe deeper and not be blind-sided by naive reasoning (e.g. it is a Muslim issue and therefore would neither affect nor concern non-Muslims).

But the 2 key points that distinguish the hudud issue from other less controversial issues (e.g. Goods & Services Tax) are that: (a) hudud is unconstitutional and (b) it is an issue that relates to the basis of the spiritual life of man.

This debate of legalism vs the mysterious sovereign will of God is a common dilemma faced by all believers in the great religions of the world: Can spiritual values be legislated or is legislating our faith-based values just an outward symbol of righteousness?

When we, as Malaysians discuss hudud, we must be intellectually sharp to enlarge the debate in the context of the bigger spiritual debate (which also includes the values of atheists). We understand the perspective of the religious legalists in a world of rampant crime and violence.

But the evil consequence of the human conscience being shackled and rendered useless in a rules-based society means that we (whether Muslims, Christians, Buddhists or Hindus) become spiritual robots who allow external laws to infringe on our inner life. The mercy of God extended to man is an affair purely between God and an individual. Judgements of morality are never between the state or religious councils and man.

Hudud is just another form of religious legalism that also exists in catholic and Jewish religions. There is no need to educate us on the Kelantan version as legalism in any religion is often an outward show of power and prestige masking the poverty of our conscience to produce mercy and forgiveness to those considered immoral/unethical. Let the judge who is without a single sin be the first to execute punishment. This is the divine principle of making moral judgement as alluded by Jesus in the book of John chapter 8: verse 7 when the religious legalists asked him whether an adulteress should be stoned to death according to the laws of Moses: 

"Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." 

In other words, only God can dispense judgements of morality and spirituality. Man should confine himself to making civil laws that prevent crimes and misconduct. If the punishment in terms of years in jail or amount of fines is not commensurate with the severity of the crime, then by all means increase the jail-time or fines. The root cause of many of today's social problems come from the lack of proper upbringing, traumatic past experiences and bad social habits. Punishments can never pull out the roots of criminal behaviour. 

And punishing criminals with the pain of amputations or other capital punishments to extract feelings of repentance is neither morally or psychologically defensible. It only works on the fear factor and for some people of different world-views, capital punishment of this kind is akin to repaying a wrong with another wrong (i.e. an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth). True repentance starts with the realisation of the human conscience that a sin has been committed and a moral regeneration is urgently needed.     

  
Is A Tree Not Known By Its Fruits?

Nonetheless, the on-line discussions on this hudud issue is also getting nowhere because both sides are not on the same page: for those against legalism, proof of the ill-effects of its actual practice is sufficient (i.e. look at Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan). In other words, a tree is judged by its fruits and this is the most practical way of assessing its viability. 

But for the pro-legalists, there is no need to know if the practice of legalism is effective in curbing immorality or unethical conduct. To them, the tree itself is more important than its fruits, which seems quite illogical but understandably rational from their perspective. 

It is with this insight that we can better understand that the concept of hudud from the legalists point of view is that it is a  kind of flag or branding of a state, which is in itself, sufficient in endorsing the religious credentials or credibility of their community in the eyes of God. 

The current problem with Malaysia is that this issue of religious legalism, while it is clearly to me an ancient problem, has been made more complex by politicians who use it as a means of dividing good people of all races and faiths. 

How God & Man Can Change Malaysia's Destiny

For many months since the political earthquake of 8th March 2008, I, as an ordinary citizen, have been praying and seeking solutions to Malaysia's seemingly intractable economic and political problems.

Why should I care if not for the fact that I love this beautiful country where I spent many wonderful teenage years and where my children will be growing up.

Presently, the problems we face seem insurmountable at this stage when a new Prime Minister will be taking over the government, the Opposition is facing fresh hurdles and the economy is sliding into possibly its worst recession.

Einstein once said that given an hour to solve a problem, he would spend 55 minutes understanding (or defining) the problem first and the last 5 minutes solving it.

Dr Aiko Hormann, a Christian minister of God and a former Artificial Intelligence scientist with NASA, revealed in her remarkable interviews (with "Its a New Day") that the way for us to resolve difficult problems (financial, health, emotional, spiritual) is to move into God's perspective and declare God's promises over the present situation despite the adverse circumstances.

In doing so (and we need to be sincere in our motives which is to glorify God), God will actually bring about a change in our external circumstances to be in line with our spiritual state of being (which is a joyous praise and thanksgiving to Him who has already done the finished work of healing, of freedom from poverty, of freedom from anger, hate, bitterness, etc.)

She reveals that the two hindrances that keep us from instantly seeing the power of God work in us is (a) to be distracted by the physical sensations of our present and (b) not being able to "see" from God's time perspective of the past-present-future.

In other words, humanity is always attempting with little success in moving from point A (the present with all the harsh realities) to point Z, where all our problems are gone.

Rather than dwell in A, God wants us to be spiritually and mentally be in the future time zone of Z, where all His work is accomplished just as Jesus Christ finished the work of our redemption with His death on the cross two thousand years ago.

How does all this relate to Malaysia's current problems? Well, I believe Christians as well as non-Christians should take a different perspective of this country, where its future lies according to God's plan and not according to our ideals or visions.

And the important point is not to despair or be discouraged by what we see in the physical realm (no, YB Lim Kit Siang, we are not entering a dark age) but instead be joyful and strong in nurturing a victor's perspective and mentality (not a victim's pessimism). Why? Because this is the kind of spiritual partnership with God that will work real miracles in this country.

No man can defeat the problems we face or heal a divided nation. Only when we begin to see how small, how insignificant these problems are, do we see from God's eternal perspective.

Postscript: Whether Malaysia will see its problems fixed overnight or in three or four years time depends on how we submit to God's guidance and solutions. Dr Hormann did say that sometimes, the victory is delayed so that our faith will be tested and emerge stronger after we go through difficult times.

A Day for National Reconciliation & Healing

I agree with Farish A Noor's factually accurate article on Malaysia's current politics (A Dead-End To Malaysian Politics?). But surely, he has allowed himself to be dismayed and disillusioned by the frenzied state of politicking.

Looking at our situation closer, I prefer to use the metaphor of the glass of water which Malaysians always thought was drinkable until somebody stirred the water and mud came up clouding up the glass.

All the mudslinging and rumours of corruption/murder/sodomies are to be expected in this Machavielian fight for power among the contenders.

The Rakyat should continue to watch and examine how much our leaders from both BN/PR are genuinely concerned to represent the public's interest. They have failed badly so far, but let us not demonise them to the extent they lose face.

The day will come, sooner this year or later by the next election, when Malaysians will decide whether to throw out the water from the glass and put in fresh water(new government) or sterilise the water so that it is still drinkable.

The last thing I want to do is to sit mournfully in front of the half-full glass and weep. However, Farish has hit the nail on the head with his suggestion for national reconciliation and healing for the whole nation.

A day for national reconcilation can be held on Merdeka day when all citizens and current and past leaders apologise for their mistakes in the past and vow to move on united as a nation. On that day, let us stop the finger pointing and instead point at our own hearts before God or conscience (for non-believers), that we have fallen short of the promise deserving of this great country and will learn to start on a new leaf.

To start with, here are the few things I suggest we ask God to forgive us for:

- To have falsely accused innocent people of crimes and sins they did not commit.

- To be judgmental towards both the guilty and innoncent when we ourselves are also subject to judgment.

- To have willingly voted for governments and parties that have subsequently disappointed us and misrepresented our national or state's interests.

- To have used foul language and become angry with this beautiful and blessed country.

- To have said terrible, sarcastic and condemnatory words about Malaysia as if Malaysia is equal to the government and its peoples. (Malaysia is the land and much more)

- To have offended the faiths of our fellow citizens and of other nationalities (including derogatory comments about Jews, Arabs, Americans, Zimbabweans, etc)

- To have given up all hope in our country just because of the weaknesses of our elected leaders.

- To have written statutory declarations that are not based on the truth.

- To have failed to protect the weak, impoverished, oppressed and not upheld justice for the victims of murders and crimes.

- To have engaged in politicking just to gain some political advantage.

- To have misrepresented the interests and the future of our children and our children's children by fooling ourselves about entitlements based on race when the world economy has already moved beyond such primitive systems.

These are my items for asking the nation and God to forgive us and repent for the wrongful words/deeds we have done to Malaysia. This country needs some hearfelt prayers and true respite beyond just waving of flags, making empty speeches and going about our own ways on Merdeka Day.

(Postscript: If neither BN nor PR can agree on holding the day of national reconciliation, then either one can go ahead unilaterally and invite all citizens to gather on a non-partisan basis).

How to Prepare for The Next Crisis

The end of the first half of 2008 has come and yet the profound changes that Malaysia has experienced in the political and economic spheres are likely to continue in the second half of the year. We have already successfully weathered the first political tsunami on 8th March 2008.

Yet, based on the fresh developments that emerge each day, we may be facing a second tsunami or the after-shocks of the first tsunami in the near future before the year ends.

In fact, a foreign visitor, known as a phophet, said last year that Malaysia will experience major changes and birth pangs in 2008, which coincides with the jubilee year for the nation starting from August 2007.

The latest news on the web is that a police report was filed against the defacto Opposition leader. At present, we do not know the truth and the details of the report. Who can we trust for truthful information when there are doubts about the objectivity of the mainstream papers? Even several blogs can't be trusted because of their political leanings to one party or another.

However, we can learn from the history of the world: In every political crisis, the first thing and most powerful thing to do is to pray to God that He will interevene for the truth to prevail, the lies to be exposed, the injustice to be reversed and the innoncent to be protected from the evil that has taken the hearts of men.

We can unravel the enemy’s plans and bind their feet before they take further action by praying for God’s divine intervention.

So if we read or hear about a dramatic turn of events (such as the arrest of a prominent political leader), I think we should be prepared for a major crisis in the country. As an individual citizen, now is probably the time to gather our families and friends together in our homes and places of worship to pray as a nation that the next tsunami will be as peaceful and mature as the first one on 8 March 2008.

Be Careful What You Wish For

How should Malaysians, including the blogging community, respond to the current times of political change, shocking statutory declarations and social discontent with the current establishment?

The Bible has an answer in the book of Micah verse 6,chapter 8: 'He has showed you, O man what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.'

This wise advice applies not only to Christians but to everyone who is tired of all the upheaval in the political arena. The post-8 March 2008 "reawakening" of political consciousness can turn chaotic if we are not careful about what we wish for.

Don't Let PAS Frame The Religious Debate

Ideally, in any healthy democratic country, state and religion should be kept separate and this is enshrined in our constitution where we allow for the freedom of religious worship and belief. By implication, even atheists who believe in a materialistic world have a right to their beliefs as long as they do not harm others and themselves.

For the PAS youth leader to proclaim and presume that all Muslims subscribe to hudud laws is similar to the situation where, for instance, the Catholics in Malaysia were to make it a law that all Christians, including Prostestants like myself, wear the cross. While I am sure any power-wielding Catholic party is not so foolish as to do such a thing, I am using this as an example to show the tremendous problems of making religious values into laws for everyone. (Another example would be for an elected Christian sect leader to make it a law that all Christians can only worship on Saturdays).

Based on the latest controversy of PAS revealing its true colours, I think the best strategy is to counter a religious premise (hudud laws) with another religious premise (the freedom of every God-created person to love and worship God is a freedom that God grants out of a true, genuine love reminiscent of a father's unconditional love for his children).

Here is the deep deception which religious fanatics are trying to deceive all faithful Malaysian citizens: that the acceptance of secular law is an acceptance of godless laws, i.e a system of justice without god in the centre of judgement. This is false and against the spirit if not the letter of the constitution. We have to obey traffic laws and laws of commerce but if, you as a member of your religious fraternity, wish to conduct business according to your Syariah principles, well and good. Nobody is stopping you until and unless you impose your principles and laws on other people (who may be even more spiritual than you.)

In conclusion, leaders in the DAP and Keadilan have to intelligently engage PAS in this crucial debate. And all Malaysians have to deal with the root of this issue, which is not so much about secular laws versus religious laws.

Don’t let PAS frame the debate. The actual debate is essentially this: Should religious practices be imposed on people who do not share the same religious interpretations? If the answer is a resounding No!, then the next question is: Can the practice of religion (and the love of God) be the free will of its practitioners or is it best to enforce it through punishment and penalties? The answer to this question will resolve the issue of whether Malaysia or any of the five states in which PR rules is an Islamic state, a Christian state or a secular state.

Postcript: The only practical solution, as I see it for this country, is for a secular state and its basic laws to overide the draconian laws of any religious group. Even if 9 out 10 Muslims want to have hudud laws legislated in any state, the basic human rights of that minority single Muslim citizen should be protected by the law.