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WHY ANOTHER MUSLIM ORGANIZATION ? In the last few years public discourse on Islam and Muslims has to a large measure been shaped and influenced by that defining event which caught the world by surprise as the millennium's first year drew to a close. Its not that the pseudo-association of Islam with violence, hostility and antipathy towards modern civilization is a new phenomenon, but the scale of death and destruction was such that for many years to come we would have to contend with this reductionist and obviously erroneous perception of Islam. Even in Malaysia where non Muslims are somewhat familiar with Muslim culture if not with Islam itself, violent events and threats of violence attributed to militant Muslim groups in the region, even if the truth of that has yet to be ascertained in an open court, this new face of Islam has certainly been one of the major factors in the outcome of Malaysia's 11th general elections. While the threat of extremism from the margins of mainstream Islam is perhaps exaggerated, and we can attribute this to Islamphobic sentiments perpetuated and encouraged by the world's media and infotainement channels of popular culture, or may be to just plain ignorance, we have to come to terms with the rise in our midst of insular, unaccommodating and rigid expressions of Islam that are seemingly hostile to modernity and to other cultures. There are many reasons for this outrage and frustration. Among others the unresolved political problems in flashpoints across the Muslim world, continuing poverty in many Muslims nations, the hypocrisy of western powers who promise democracy to the world yet support unpopular autocratic regimes, and globalization's rapacious consumerist materialism that have no respect for traditional values, cultures and the spiritual needs of man. But in responding to these challenges, the rigid, literalist interpretation of Islam reduces the religion to just one of its dimensions i.e. the Sacred Law, and ignores centuries of tradition and learning that has produced a civilization known for its knowledge and beauty, justice and nobility, tolerance and mutual respect. If the literalist interpretation lead to expressions of Islam that appear intolerant and incongruous with modernity, equally detrimental is the other tendency on the margins of mainstream traditional Islam, the hyperliberal interpretation of the religion. In responding to the challenges of modernity, advocates of hyperliberal Islam seek to bring Muslim society in line with post-modern liberalism of late 20th century. This is just the mirror-image of free-form fundamentalism, displaying a lack of respect for the hierarchy of knowledge and traditional learning, jettisoning Islamic culture and tradition in the rush to embrace post-modernism's fashionable values that derive from absolute relativism. Of major concern to us, hyperliberal Islam seeks to undermine and belittle the role of the prophetic tradition as one of the 2 foundations of Islamic knowledge, spirituality, worship and practices. This translates into "Shariat-lite" or "Quran-only" Islam, a disdain for external forms of religion, and an emphasis on a false spirituality, to finally open the way for the destruction of Islam itself. It is in the area of shariat that concerns morality and gender differences that this challenge to pristine Islam is most visible. In its extreme insolence, it is the personality of the Holy Prophet himself that is denigrated and abused. We recognize that the weaknesses of Muslims in many spheres of public life, from education to economics, from scientific-technological progress to international diplomacy has a great deal to do with our inability to grapple with modernity. But neither does the solution lie in a hyperliberal interpretation of Islam. While Muslims should be forward looking and progressive, our endeavours should be anchored in the foundations of Islamic belief and practice, and draw inspiration from our rich tradition of knowledge and learning. We must strive for a balanced and sober social and spiritual vision for Muslims. These acutely polarized expressions of Islam much disturbed the intellect and conscience of a group of Muslim professionals. Both the literal and hyperliberal images of Islam grossly defied the concept of "wasathiyah" or middle path as enshrined in the Quranic verse : "Thus we have appointed you a middle nation, that you may be witness against mankind, and that the messenger may be witness against you..." ( 2 : 143 ). Consequent upon a series of informal meetings, the idea of a Muslim Professionals Forum ( MPF ) was mooted. One may rightly ask, why another when there is already a plethora of Islamic organizations actively in the service of Islam? Firstly, the many dimensions of Islam could not possibly be served by one single organization. While excellent work is being done in the areas such as humanitarian and relief work, education and community service, we feel there is still room for us to humbly contribute as one further voice in public discourse on Islam that relates to the issues we raised above. Given our professional and scientific training and background, and our experience and familiarity with other cultures, we hope that we could in a meaningful way articulate the views of authentic mainstream Islam in the modern idiom to the general public on important issues of the day. This is our small humble effort in conveying the universal relevance of Islam's message for man and society. The use of the English language as the principal means of communication is not meant to be disrespectful of our Bahasa Kebangsaan. We feel Islam is already well-served in Bahasa Kebangsaan ) by many organizations and individuals. For the audience that we wish to engage with, we felt that the English language may be more effective and appropriate in our dialogue and discourse. After all, globally, the English language is Islam's second language today. The objectives of the MPF are clearly defined in a separate section of this webpage. We graciously welcome your participation and cooperation in our shared aspirations aspirations to present the moderate yet contemporary face of Islam in the midst of modernity. More info :-
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