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The Forum on JihadDate : 24 September 2005 The Forum on Jihad in Tampines Stadium - Opening Remarks by Mr Mohamad Maidin BPM, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs, 24 September 2005
Ladies and Gentlemen 1 Thank you all for turning up at this forum organised by Pergas and the Moral Human Development Society. 2 The topic of this forum which is entitled “What is the true meaning of Jihad?” is a serious subject. Frankly however it is probably seen by some as a sensitive subject which should be best avoided. In my view, precisely because it is a serious subject, it is too important an issue to our community not to discuss it. And if we do so, rationally and constructively with open minds and open hearts, we will not only deepen understanding not only of our Muslims and of our non-Muslim fellow Singaporeans as well. 3 The term jihad has been used in so many ways in the last few years. Some of it show clearly misconceptions by those who fail to understand it but who nevertheless pursue actions in its name, which unfortunately result in harm to others. Whether it is the terrorist who exploit this or it is just the unthinking person with a closed mind who promote a distorted idea of it, we should not avoid dealing with them. We should identify such distortions and correct misconceptions wherever we encounter them. Because not to do so will only allow for more confusion and misunderstanding. And this in turn may lead the weak and vulnerable astray. 4 In this role, our asatizahs have a vital contribution to make. Our religious scholars and Muslim leaders and intellectuals have therefore a heavy responsibility to shoulder such a campaign to seek greater understanding and to challenge and clarify misconceptions and distortions and not only them to take root or prevail. 5 Whether and how our Muslim community grow in maturity and greater Islamic knowledge is really up to all of us. We have the resources; we have the learned people among us. We have a multi-ethnic society where we are free to pursue knowledge and to live in harmony and peace. Knowledge and understanding is always a key to resolving doubt, confusion or problems. It has been said that no problem can sustain the assault of sustained thinking. 6 The forum by our three panelists this evening is an effort in this direction. I hope their efforts will inspire others by example to follow. The three panelists today, ustaz Ali, ustaz Hasbi and ustaz Tengku Fouzy are well-known ulama respected not only for their scholarship and knowledge of Islam but also as men of conviction and teachers of many in our community. 7 Without taking up any more time, let me end here by urging all of you here tonight to enjoy the forum and benefit from their views, insights and knowledge. 8 Thank you. The Forum on Jihad - Speech By Mr Mohamad Maidin BPM, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs, 26 November 2005
Ladies and Gentlemen Last month, I had the pleasant honour of opening a forum on the theme - “What is the true meaning of jihad”, This was organised by Pergas and the Moral Human Development Society. It was held at Tampines Stadium. If you measure the success of the forum by the attentiveness of and the size of the audience, then that forum was undoubtedly a success. 2 I am proud to be here tonight to once again open a forum on jihad by the same organizers and with the same distinguished panelists. To me, this forum tonight at An-Nur mosque is another measure of success, perhaps a more significant one. This is because it shows that the last forum was not a one-off affair but that these scholars are determined to continue the efforts to reach out to their fellow Muslims in order to raise better understanding of Islam and to dispel misconceptions and distortions. Persevering in these efforts for the greater good of Islam and our society, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, is a jihad which all our religious teachers and scholars must all be prepared to commit to. 3 This is because in this jihad , in these efforts to strive for the betterment of our fellow Singaporeans, our asatizahs and ulamas are best positioned in our society to lead the way. They have the learning and knowledge which is essential to light up the darkness caused by those who have distorted Islam to justify cruel violence. Such extremists talent-spot and mislead those who are weaker in their religious knowledge in the community. Extremist teachings blind such persons to go astray, exploiting their ignorance and growing only hatred which send them to do violence on others. This is contrary to the spirit of Islam. 4 The Muslim community in Singapore has shown itself to have the maturity to deal with sensitive issues bravely. It took 10 years but today the drug problem with heroin which once plagued the community, is minimal. The Muslim community showed that it had the moral courage, commitment and tenacity of spirit to tackle this challenge. Although the problem of extremist ideology is not the same as drugs, it must be tackled in the same spirit and with no less than the same commitment and perseverance. 5 I said “no less than” because in my mind, I think tackling religious extremism must be pursued with even greater commitment, passion, zeal and perseverance. Why? Because as we have seen in so many places in the world, today, this is a threat which has led to acts of terrorism which obviously kill and injure. Why? Because when such an incident happens in a multi-ethnic society such as ours, the harmony which we have achieved among our races will be strained. And if this harmony is breached and our cohesion unravelled, then not only we here today, but our children at home and their generation, will have to pay. They will have to pay the price of living in a different Singapore where instead of the communal accord we are accustomed to, there will be mistrust and suspicion between our races and religious communities. 6 Perhaps, just as important to a Muslim Singaporean like myself, another reason why we must do all we can to weed out extremist ideology in our community, whether from among our own misguided few or imported from elsewhere, is the fact that when a terrorist claims he acts in the name of Islam and kills indiscriminately, I feel a deep and personal pain. I feel the pain of the interests and well-being of our ummah injured and the good name of Islam tarnished. So for me, weeding out extremism and terrorist doctrines which distort Islamic teachings is a matter of fundamental interests at the national, community and personal levels, all at the same time. 7 Our religious leaders must not only inoculate our members against the virus of extremist ideology, we must also mobilize our community to be vigilant and pro-actively guard against and detect early signs of any danger in our community. We must be watchful to ensure that early indicators are picked up and we act to ensure that small potential problems are not allowed to fester and grow into a malignant tumour. The social and material well-being as well as the religious health of our Muslim community is ultimately our own responsibility. We must take ownership and exercise leadership to do this. 8 The forum by our three panelists this evening reflects such a leadership. On our part in the audience , the real challenge is what do we do after this evening. If we have gained insight and new knowledge or understanding at the end of the forum, then the speakers have succeeded. If we translate this new awareness and understanding in our daily lives to be better Muslims, better Singaporeans and to be active citizens committed to sustain the community’s vigilance against extremism, then the seed that the speakers have planted have grown as an integral and positive part of our lives. This is the more significant success we must seek. But to do this, the speakers can only do their part and meet us half-way – the rest is up to us. 9 Let me not take up more of your time. Thank you for your patient attention. I wish all of you here tonight a good forum tonight and hope that tomorrow you will find a new and enriched awareness which can help us all do our part to keep our loved ones and Singapore safe. |
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