LETTER | As your average 23-year-old Malay-Muslim, Twitter is an avenue for me to catch up with the current happenings and to observe public sentiment.

I have to admit, it is not the best place for a healthy intellectual discourse, but at least you know what is going on, here or internationally, and how Malaysians, mostly in my age group, react to it.

It is my observation that ‘Malaysia Baru’ has provided a more active, vigorous yet confusing debate on many contemporary issues, like LGBTQ and apostasy to name a few.

The fall of the feudalistic Umno regime also leaves a huge void in the Malay-Muslim body politic. An empty, missing space now yearning for suitable substitutes in answering and providing them with political and intellectual narratives, regardless if it is new or a continuum of the old values and concerns that define the very essence of the Malay-Muslim identity.

Many factions will try to occupy that void and assert their understanding of subjects that require in-depth comprehension but ended up settling with facile arguments.

I can sense this is happening on Twitter as well. When a fellow Malay renounces God in a thread, or when a fellow Malay proudly admits that he is a homosexual looking for a boyfriend, the majority did not know what and how to respond.

When their values and narratives are under attack by an unfamiliar ideology, the arguments would always lead to a simplistic form of Islam. A form that is always black versus white, or true versus false, with no substantial, logical arguments supporting those conclusions.

Sometimes, to a certain extent, the discussion results in fearmongering and hatred towards the ‘other’.

Do not get me wrong. I can neither be classified as LGBTQ nor am I an advocate for apostasy, for whatever they demand from the majority. But as a person who identifies as part of the majority, I do know for sure, that I demand answers and above all, understanding.

These past few days saw an increase of Isma activists setting up Twitter accounts for the purpose of disseminating information about the true form of Islam and fighting the "liberal forces" that are slowly creeping into the minds of youths in the Twitter-sphere.

Sadly, they ended up with disseminating fear and hatred and sometimes denying any possible space for a constructive discussion on the matter.

Here we have two contesting divides who do not want to agree to disagree, and in my opinion, they are both equally confused.

The "What is right is right, what is wrong shall be wrong" narrative is prevalent in Isma and their ilk, and often disregard the subtle nuances that contribute to the ‘phenomenon’.

It is their failure to truly understand how the discourse on LGBTQ and apostasy managed to form and spread overnight made them choose and subscribe a simpler reason to justify the "phenomenon" to suit their worldview. We’ve heard it all, already. We’ve heard enough.

I do think it is time for Muslim public intellectuals, scholars who are honest, rooted in the Islamic intellectual traditions and who are aware of the contemporary issues, to take centrestage. Not ‘Islamic activism’ selling simplistic arguments just to cater to what they believe in, instead of the reality and the problems at hand.

It is now, more than ever, necessary for scholars from the Institut Kefahaman Islam Malaysia (Ikim), Centre for Advanced Studies on Islam, Science and Civilisation (Casis) Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Islamic and Strategic Studies Institute (Issi) to foreground the discourse on contemporary issues vis-à-vis what the Islamic tradition has to offer on the matter.

Let us bring back the authority to the experts, in directing public opinion and educating the masses on the arising predicaments, via social or the mainstream media.

Someone must come to the rescue of the ever perplexed Malay-Muslim teenagers in dealing with these contemporary, postmodern problems. They assume that the truth can be easily delivered in a series of a tweet and someone with amicably articulate persona is an epitome of a learned authority.

‘Malaysia Baru’ unfolds grave challenges to the Islamic intellectual tradition, as well as the Malay-Muslim society. The former must engage actively, with wisdom in addressing social issues through multiple platforms, while the latter must learn to be calm, poised and cautious in facing such issues.

The Malay archipelago possesses rich intellectual heritage and logical explanation towards the impending issues at hand, regarding our identity and principles as Malay-Muslims in the 21st century. Reviving the said tradition is the only answer to help the perplexed in the ‘Malaysia Baru’.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.