Amanah eyes ‘a progressive Muslim ideology’ in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR — Amanah may be the smallest party in Malaysia’s opposition Pakatan Harapan (PH) bloc, but its importance goes beyond its ability to bring in votes, said party president Mohamad Sabu.

Unlike its colleagues, Amanah sees itself as the bulwark against a rising tide of ultra-conservative Islam that is sweeping through Malaysia and fraying inter-communal ties.

Mr Mohamad said his party also wants to pioneer a progressive Muslim ideology that stresses good governance instead of the current stress on obedience to moral codes.

The most recent example of how Amanah chooses to walk the line between conservatism and a progressive Islam is the cancellation of the Better Beer Festival, an event showcasing craft beers from around the world.

While hard-line Islamist opposition party Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) slammed the event as a vice fest, Amanah has chosen to approach the issue on a more conciliatory tone, making references to the protection of the rights of non-Muslim Malaysians.

The authorities have since clarified that the event was cancelled over security concerns.

In an interview with The Malaysian Insight, Mr Mohamad said the hard-line and ultra conservative approach to Islam has led Malay-Muslims to fear changing their leaders even when they are corrupt and incompetent.

“One of the big problems in this country lies with people with religious authority and influence. It’s not the fault of the religion itself but of religious authorities and experts on religion,” he said.

“This is why for the so-called Islamists, corruption is not a big issue in Muslim countries, including Malaysia, even when corruption is a huge sin in Islam. This is what Amanah wants to change.

“Now they are playing up this issue of Malay-Muslims. That if a Malay leader is corrupt, you as a Muslim still have to defend him because you fear that non-Malays and non-Muslims will take over.”

Amanah leaders have at times taken the lead in criticising hard-line Malay-Muslim jurists and scholars, including those tied to the ruling United Malays National Organisation and PAS.

Many of its leaders are qualified in Islamic studies or are familiar with its concepts, given their experience as former PAS members. Amanah is a splinter party from PAS.

Amanah politicians have also pushed back against the growing practice of takfiri, where certain Muslim personalities label other Muslims as infidels. Mr Mohamad himself and other Amanah leaders have been a victim of this, as a small number of Muslims on social media have spread messages saying that it is all right to kill him and his Amanah colleagues.

“This practice of takfiri has destroyed many Muslim countries, in Syria, Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Egypt, where Muslims are told that it is acceptable to kill people, and bomb mosques and other places of worship,” he said.

“I do not want the Islamic movement here to end with takfiri being the norm, where there are edicts that you can kill people, that you are permitted to spill the blood of others.

“The Syrians and Iraqis were embroiled in this, and we in Malaysia are just at the start. Amanah is a party that can counter this practice. Otherwise we will be ensnared by it.”

The party leader stated that the organisation wants to change the mindset of Muslims. “It is a larger long-term goal and I will probably not see it achieved in my lifetime, but it’s something we are committed to because (good governance in Islam) is becoming a global trend,” he added.

Amanah split from PAS in 2015 amid concerns that it was being taken over by ultra-conservatives. It has since joined PH together with multiracial parties Parti Keadilan Rakyat and the Democratic Action Party, as well as Bumiputera-centric party Bersatu. THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT