MP SPEAKS | Yesterday, while supporting the idea proposed by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in Ankara that Muslim countries like Malaysia, Turkey and Pakistan pool their resources to make Islamic civilisation great again, I made the point that it is not possible to make Islamic civilisation great again based on klepto-theocracy - the political doctrine which misuses Islam to peddle lies, falsehoods, distrust, suspicion, hatred and which supports thievery and corruption.

This elicited an immediate attack by the proponents of klepto-theocracy, pouring out more lies and falsehoods as accusing me of condemning Muslims as thieves and being corrupt.

Only simpletons and the retarded will believe in such garbage, for there are Muslims who are thieves and corrupt just as there are non-Muslims who are thieves and corrupt.

A person becomes a thief or is corrupt not because of his religion but despite his religion – in fact if he is a pious follower of Islam or the great religions of the world, the last thing he would do is to become a thief or corrupt as he had disregarded the basic teachings of Islam and the great religions of the world to be good, pious, virtuous and God-fearing.

I support the idea of Malaysia contributing to the effort to make Islamic civilisation great again.

In fact, I would go further, as I had said: “Malaysia has the unique opportunity as the confluence of the great cultures, religions and civilisations in the world – Islamic, Chinese, Indian and Western – to leverage on and synthesise the best from these cultures, religions and civilisations to build a great Malaysian civilisation as a signal contribution to the international community, apart from contributing to make these civilisations great again.”

Why have the proponents of klepto-theocracy launched a tirade against me for my statement yesterday?

Are they against the revival of a great Islamic civilisation?

Do they believe that the Malaysian population would become “dumb and dumber” over the years as to believe in such political garbage peddled by their cyber troopers?

It is interesting to note that Pakistan has welcomed the idea of a Muslim renaissance with the co-operation of Pakistan, Turkey and Malaysia.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi (photo, above) in a tweet welcomed such a Muslim renaissance.

Qureshi also tweeted, “I was privileged to be part of the ministerial meeting of the three countries on the sidelines of OIC’s Makkah Summit.

“This important trilateral initiative will go a long way in fostering unity, cooperation and development across the Muslim world.”

Can the proponents of klepto-theocracy explain why they disagree that to make Islamic civilisation great again, there must be no misuse of Islam to peddle lies, falsehoods, distrust, suspicion, hatred or support of thievery and corruption, but only by striving to become the best and achieving excellence in every field of human endeavour?

Do the proponents of klepto-theocracy realise that to make the Islamic civilisation great again is not to propose a clash of civilisations as it is not antithetical to an era of the golden age for all civilisations.

The Western renaissance was born out of the Islamic renaissance.

The Islamic Golden Age was a period of cultural, economic and scientific flourishing in the history of Islam.

The memorable words of the Holy Prophet of Islam, "Go in quest of knowledge even unto the distant China'', awakened a spirit of enquiry among the Arabs.

The great orientalist Philip K Hitti acknowledged the greatness of Arab culture in his History of the Arabs: “Between mid-8th and start of the 13th centuries, the Arab-speaking people were the main torchbearers of culture and civilization throughout the world.

“They were the medium through which ancient science and philosophy were recovered, supplemented and transmitted in such a way as to make possible the renaissance of western Europe.”

Are Malaysians prepared to stop misusing Islam and the other great religions to foster the revival of the Golden Age of Islamic, Chinese, Indian and Western civilisations?

LIM KIT SIANG is the MP for Iskandar Puteri.

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