I refer to Dr Syed Alwi Ahmad's letter Apostasy - what's good for the goose also good for the gander?

I think Dr Syed Alwi has missed the point of my last letter Muslims need to learn their religion properly . All the confusion and the call to reinterpret Islam is derived from the ignorance and the lack of proper knowledge of Islam by Muslims. Most of the issues that are called for re-interpretation have been dealt with already by the early 'ulama' centuries ago and they are still applicable today. Many Muslims don't know this because they don't learn about it and much worse, they don't ask those who know.

The crux of the problem now is that those who do not have any knowledge and authority in Islam are the ones calling for a re-interpretation of Islam. I find all this clamouring for a new re-interpretation just a little bit tiresome, because the same characters that call for it are not qualified to talk about Islam themselves.

When Dr Syed Alwi mentioned 'Talibanising', what does that mean? Is there a definitive meaning to the word, or is it just an impact term to drive fear in society? So if the country is going through the process of 'Americanising', is that a positive process compare to the former? Dr Syed Alwi also stated that the American Muslims have begun to 'toy' around with the notion of a re- interpretation (or even reform) of Islamic doctrines. This exactly demonstrate my point, the fact that these people are 'toying' prove that they have neither a solid foundation, methodology nor the capacity to do so.

Moreover, the American Muslims that are 'toying' comprise a very minute percentage of the whole Muslim population in America. I have to mention here that there are a growing number of American Muslims who are reviving the traditional studies of Islam.

Dr Syed Alwi again uses the argument of the worth of one 'syahadah' if one is compelled by law to remain Muslim. This is the misunderstanding of the verse in the Quran 'There is no compulsion in religion'. This verse has always been understood and interpreted to address those who have not yet embraced Islam.

I agree with Dr Syed Alwi that the Muslim world has not contributed much to science. How can we contribute to science when we don't even know the basics of our religion? Muslim scientists of the past had the luxury of studying, exploring and discovering natural science because they had the basic knowledge and understanding of Islam in their pocket. Now, the fact that I am writing on this subject proves our pathetic situation.

Let's learn our religion and tradition before we re-interpret.