Wannabe Camel Jockey

COMMENT | Abdul Hadi Awang’s recent rejoinder of PAS’ commitment to a Malay uber alles government is not merely a political commitment towards Malaysia’s ethnocratic state of play but rather a clarion call for believers who understand demographic is destiny.

Commander Thaya in the UK

Hadi’s version of Islam is frankly atavistic, the kind of demagoguery that some “Islamic” states are trying to withdraw from.

What makes Hadi so dangerous is not the electoral prospects of PAS. What makes Hadi so dangerous is not the incompetency of PAS political operatives on a state or federal level. What makes Hadi so dangerous is not the biased response of the state when it comes to his provocations.

What makes Hadi so dangerous is that his narrative of Islam remains unchallenged by the political mainstream. Our slowly eroding public and private spheres is all part of the plan when it comes to turning Malaysia into an Islamic state. 

Think of it this way. Hadi who used to hold high office in an international Islamic organisation deemed a terrorist organisation by certain Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, is confident enough to claim:

“The Arab civilisation was respected because of Islam but is now crumbling under the weight of their own crimes by recognising the Zionist regime and neglecting Palestine and its rights.

"They are now driven by their belief and admiration for the Zionist Jewish powers-that-be, more than to trust in God, Islam and their fellow Muslims." 

So what this means is that religious extremists in Malaysia do not really need to look for inspiration elsewhere but rather the seeds of what they believe constitutes a genuine Islamic state has already been planted in Malaysia. 

In other words, they have successfully influenced policy decisions in certain states, slowly shaping them into what PAS believes is the destiny of Malaysia.

I refer to it as the "balkanisation" of moderation when it comes to the influence of religion on public policy. 

Pockets of areas in Malaysia where the kind of Islam Hadi advocates does not have as firm a grip as it does where PAS and their Malay uber alles allies run riot.

People think it is funny when Hadi claims he does not understand why non-Muslims do not understand why Islam is the solution to humanity’s problems. 

First off, every religion thinks it is the solution to humanity's problem, which is ironic because religion is the cause of most of humanity's problems.

What folk do not seem to understand is that you can mock Hadi all you want on social media, but the reality is that he is winning. 

His ideas have seeped into every facet of Malaysian life. The mainstream political establishment is held hostage by his belief system.

Muslim solidarity

What people forget is that Hadi is not posing that question to non-Muslims. That particular question is aimed at believers who already believe that Islam is the solution and it is incumbent on them to force the solution on everyone regardless of religious belief.

Ideas of majoritarian rule and how demographics enable such are themes in an ongoing fascist take over of this country. 

When Hadi talks of Western ideologies and their effects on mainstream Malay culture and polity, these are ideas that have been used to justify the Islamisation of this country.

For instance in March 2017, during a debate regarding Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355) proposed amendments, lawyer Aidil Khalid argued: “In turn, some (of these laws) are based on the principles of morality from Christian principles.

"Muslims in this country have been subjected to the civil laws, we do not complain." 

On the other side opposing the motion were lawyers Ambiga Sreenevasan and Haris Ibrahim. 

Haris said that he would not have the Islam he believes in taken away from him. The tragedy is that his version of Islam is anathema to mainstream Malaysian Islam.

Hadi understands that he will be vilified by non-Malay political operatives but he also knows that when it comes to actual policymaking, his rhetoric and that of his base will have a profound impact, even though politically in terms of representation, PAS may be negligible especially in the federal government.

What separates Hadi from the rest of the Umno-aligned herd is that the PAS base still believes that they have a shot at truly influencing the direction of this country. 

They do not view what Hadi says as malicious or bigoted, indeed because of the millions of ringgit spent on religious schools and governmental propaganda, the kind of Islam PAS advocates is mainstream.

And it does not matter if PAS does not win elections, especially in urban areas. Actually, more often than not, it is a point of pride that they continue hacking away, even though they lose. 

This is why Hadi gets to dismiss corruption and not suffer any blowback.

If Zakir Naik can claim that it is better to vote for corrupt Muslim leaders than honest non-Muslim leaders, Hadi can certainly propagate the narrative that Muslim solidarity means never having to be sanctioned for corruption.

I remember when Pakatan Rakyat had that "PAS for all" propaganda which I was bitterly opposed to.