Takaful Incident: Questions Arisen

And so the Takaful incident draws to a close.And not a moment too soon if you ask me.This has dragged on for far two long with no apparent reason apart from a man's overzealousness to begin with, and the disturbing silence that ensued for a few days.As usual, everyone will start talking only after the PM speaks.Democracy my brown ass.

So this would go down as a good thing, while the spin doctors put this down as another sterling example of how tolerant and wonderful and peachy Malaysia is..Am I missing something here or isn't anyone addressing the issue?En Fauzi is not the only one who feels the way he does.Fact remains, there are more and more Malaysian Muslims (which is not only the bumiputras, but even immigrants from Indonesia who seemed to have forgotten their roots) who are feeling increasingly 'impatient' with us non Muslims.Here's the issue as I see it-

The liberal Muslims and your average non-Muslim like me, feel that Malaysia is going 180 degrees in her liberal identity.We generally feel that our society, government and way of life are being re-engineered gradually to fit the image of a Muslim country.And we don't get why we are trying to go the Wahabbi way (i.e. more Saudi) when there are better examples of Muslim countries, even if you must implement it, such as Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt et cetera.Some, who have had the opportunity to travel abroad, don't get the attitude of some local Muslims, who like her occasionally piss off a whole bunch of us by comments calling us non Muslims pigs, dogs et cetera.No, I do not understand the need for the entire world to spin around you.I do not understand how eating dinner in a public place is offensive.Do you want all of us to fast with you or how?

That would make MENJ extremely happy won't it?If all of us would convert to Islam.But if you tell me, politely, if things I do is offensive to you because of your religious beliefs, be it because you're Muslim, or Hindu, or Sikh, or Bahai, or even Satanist, and its logical, of course I will oblige you, as you are my brother and sister, my fellow citizen, my fellow human.Coz, if you can get this offended by someone eating and preventing you from breaking fast (or in her case perhaps stuffing your cheeks full with food like a bunny)and resort to calling me animal names, I am worried what might happen should something more serious occur, like me resisting the implementation of hudud and qisas.But I am grateful that this spate of spite has also ended.

But it raises, perhaps more questions than answers.Where do we, as a nation stand in all this, where do we stand on a global scale?Are we to join the ranks of Saudi Arabia and Iran, or the ranks of Turkey and Jordan? Or do we join the likes of Denmark or Finland?Which model works for us.But perhaps the more pertinent question would be- where do we as non Muslim Malaysians stand in all this and how we fit into the equation.

The latest fiascos on the Bumi equity rate, the building of Chinese schools, and questions being raised about wishing each other well during festivities are very disturbing pieces of news. The government paints a rosy picture that all is well in Bolehland, and that its only a few whose thinking swings left, but is it really so?

This bunch of people, on this end, usually believes that we are scaring away investors, tourists and talent who are terrified at the mere notion of a Muslim state, just because they themselves feel that way.

And on the other end of the spectrum, you have some people who feel we have always been a Muslim country, and that they, in their ever gracious kindness has hosted us infidels and that we are a bunch of ungrateful ingrates who have been able to work, live and eat here, and even own big businesses and that we are stepping way out of line by questioning any motive of any moves they make.

This type of people typically believes that we are not Muslim enough, not nearly as much as they hope for and that by being more Muslim, we will attract more Arab tourists, Arab money and Muslim talent, and perhaps even rebuild the glorious days where the Ottoman Empire and Islam stood as the bastion of knowledge and wealth of Europe, the time that gave us Avicenna, Ibn Khaldun and so on.

So, to me, the simplistic Takaful incident got me thinking- where are we headed to now? Which direction

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