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Makeover of the decade: PAS and the non-Muslims

By Joan Lau (The Malaysian Insider)

If somebody had predicted back in 1999 that Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) would one day enjoy the support of non-Muslims in the country, he or she would have been laughed out of the room.

After all, the fear of the green tide (PAS is closely associated with the Islamic colour) was what kept diehard opposition supporters from voting for the DAP in the 1999 general election. That year, DAP had joined forces with PAS, Keadilan and Parti Rakyat Malaysia to challenge Barisan Nasional under the Barisan Alternatif banner.

DAP turned out to be the biggest loser in the election that saw Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh vanquished. PAS was the biggest winner that year as it took Terengganu as well as Kelantan which it first took control of in 1990.

Malaysians then — not just non-Muslims but any Malaysian fearing the curtailing of his/her civil liberties should PAS take over — simply could not accept PAS. And the fact that it now had two states made them even more nervous.

“If PAS is in control, finish-lah for us… no more pork” or “We will become like Iran” were remarks commonly bandied about in those days. Yes, they may sound improbably childish now but the fear of a repressive Islamic regime was very real.

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim wrote that “thanks to the skilful demonising over the decades by the Barisan Nasional government and the mainstream media, Chinese and Indians tossed PAS into the same basket as terrorists and communists.” The truth wasn’t very far from that dramatic statement.

Fast forward to 2009 and you will find that while there is still some unease over PAS’s insistence on hudud laws and the banishing of alcohol sales, there is a much wider acceptance of the party. Over the years, it worked on more inclusive policies and presented a less fundamentalist image of itself. Example: at the Bukit Gantang by-election this year, the Chinese-majority consitutency of Kuala Sepetang voted overwhelmingly for PAS candidate Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin.

Over the years, the party had simply shifted closer to the middle. After March 8, 2008 stories emerged of PAS MP Khalid Samad speaking to his constituents in a church. Imagine that. When was the last time an Umno politician did that?

Then there was Tok Guru saying there was nothing wrong with Christians using the word “Allah.” This at a time when the Catholic church was in court fighting for the right to use the word. Coincidentally, the judgment of the Allah case is later this afternoon.

Ironically, it was Umno which was sounding more and more extreme with its insistence on ketuanan Melayu, calling the Chinese and Indians pendatang and branding any form of dissent as being anti-monarchy or a threat to the Malays.

Malaysians, tired of this rhetoric, wanted politicians who stood for honesty and justice. PAS, with its strong religious core, came across as just that. Suddenly it was okay that it was a party with strong Islamist principles. At least it had principles.

Courtesy of The Malaysian Insider
-Pejabat YB Khalid Samad-

Comments

Anonymous said…
"At least it had principles" - really like that, nuff said!!
Anonymous said…
"At least it had principles"

Aha must be jokes of the century, since the last election I noticed that PAS no longer had any principles, not even a back-bone..they agreed whatever DAP or PKR said..

Wait for the next election, PAS will lost it big!
Anonymous said…
Forming an ally with DAP and PKR is hardly 'no principle'. I think It's fair to collide with others who share the same stance, same principle of justice.

This has been done by Prophet Muhammad in the 'al-fudhul' treaty with the quraisy people at the time before Hijtah.

but of course, the ally is of value as long as PAS stands firm on its basic principle -Islam-. and up till now, i think they do.
Tinta Hitam said…
UMNO sound extreme? Extreme of what? Certainly not Islam because those who is extrem with Islam will not approve many mor egambling licences.

UMNO as usual is just pretending.Nothing more than that.Lies are part of UMNO culture
Baguih la hang khalid! Hang bejaya untuk memberikan satu lagi ruang buat orang kristian mengelirukan umat islam. Anak-anak generasi sekarang dan akan datang akan terkeliru dengan agenda yang hang perjuangkan. Sehinggakan nama ALLAH SWT pun hang nak politikkan. Hang lihatlah apa yang mason lakukan di indonesia sekarang telah berlaku di malaysia. hang kena bertanggungjawab jika generasi akan bertambah keliru. Kawan hang dzulkifle pun sama perangai macam hang..
hafizzuddin said…
Salam kpd YB,

Saya sering menjadi pengikut setia blog YB, sila jenguk /copy paste URL di bawah ini.. satu pandangan ikhlas dari saya tanpa prijudis yang hanya mahu melihat perjuangan yang dibawa PAS berada dijalan yang betul...wwlam.

http://purnamadariselatan.blogspot.com/2009_12_26_archive.html
zorro said…
YB, why do I consistently wear my PAS FOR ALL Cap. Because PAS made that necessary impact.
pemburu said…
Terima kasih Khalid kerana memperjuangkan nama ALLAH dijual dan sokong pihak kristian memanggil roh kudus sebagai ALLAH.
Ingatlah amalan-amalan kamu sebesar mana pun kalau akidah lari masuklah kamu dalam neraka jahanam.
zakwan said…
Please read below and see how ignorant "Islamic" Umno is.


The name "Allah" is the Arabic word that refers to the one true God who created the heavens and the Earth – the God of all the Prophets from Adam to Noah to Abraham to Moses to Jesus to Muhammad (peace be upon them all).

The word Allah comes from the Arabic word "ilâh" meaning "deity, god, divine being" combined with the definite article "al". Put together, they make "al-Ilâh" or literally "the God" which is then elided together as "Allah".

Essentially, "Allah" is the literal Arabic equivalent to the English word "God" with a capital "G" while the Arabic word "ilâh" is the literal equivalent of the English word "god" with a lower-case "g".

The Qur'ân uses the name Allah consistently when referring to the message of all of the prophets and to the various beliefs of all of the people.

Even when the Qur'ân quotes people of other religions saying false things about the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, the word Allah is used.

We have, for example, where certain Jews are quoted as saying: "And the Jews say: 'The hand of Allah is tied up!' Their hands shall be shackled, and may they be cursed for what they say. Nay, both His hands are spread out, He bestows as He pleases." [Sûrah al-Mâ'idah: 64]

We have the Christian doctrine of the trinity conveyed in the following verse: "They surely disbelieve who say: 'Lo! Allah is the third of three' when there is no god but the One Allah. If they desist not from so saying a painful doom will fall on those of them who disbelieve." [Sûrah al-Mâ'idah: 73]

We also have in the Qur'ân: "And the Jews say: 'Ezra is the son of Allah', and the Christians say: 'The Messiah is the son of Allah'." [Sûrah al-Tawbah: 30]

These verses are in Arabic and use the Arabic name Allah. The fact that the Qur'ân does not shy away from using this word even when it speaks about the falsehood of the people of unbelief shows that the name "Allah" is truly universal, and can be used by anyone to refer to the true Creator of the heavens and the Earth.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) always referred to God as Allah when he discussed the beliefs of the Jews and Christians with him. They did so as well.

We have the challenge between the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to the Christians of Najran about their false belief in the divinity of Christ. The Arabs of Najran were Arab and were certainly speaking Arabic.

We read in the Qur'ân where Allah commands His Messenger: "If any one disputes in this matter with thee, now after (full) knowledge hath come to thee, Say: Come! Let us gather together, our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves: then let us earnestly pray. And invoke the curse of Allah on those who lie." [Sûrah Âl-`Imrân: 61]

The people of Arabia all referred to the Creator of the heavens and the Earth as "Allah", whether they were Jews, Christians, or pagans. This is the reason why, in pre-Islamic times, many people of all three faiths already carried the name `Abd Allah.

They included the Prophet's father `Abd Allah b. `Abd al-Muttalib who died before the Prophet (peace be upon him) was born, as well as the Prophet's cousin `Abd Allah b. Abî Umayyah who only accepted Islam shortly before the conquest of Mecca.

They included the prominent Jewish rabbi of Madinah, `Abd Allah b. Salâm, who became one of the most eminent of the Prophet's Companions. Of course, he had been given the name `Abd Allah by his Jewish family long before Islam.

Source :
http://www.islamtoday.com/showme2.cfm?cat_id=29&sub_cat_id=1760
seksyen 17 shah alam said…
Bapa Ronnie Liu Penyokong dan Pengundi PAS di Pahang Hasil dari kempen beberapa kepimpinan PAS di Sleangor, maka nama
Ronnie Liu telah diburukkan imejnya dikalangan majoriti ahli2 PAS Selangor.
Tetapi sempena rasminya Kelab Penyokong PAS dinaikkan pangkat menjadi sebuah Dewan dalam PAS, saya ingin berkongsi sedikit maklumat yang saya dapat terus dari Ronnie Liu sewaktu saya menjawat jawatan Ketua Penerangan PAS Kawasan PJ Utara.

next....
melayu ben jawa said…
Zakwan
Lu cerita apa ..itu cerita orang Arab...yang kita cakap ini bahasa malaysia.
Bahasa Malaysia itu kalau god dipanggil tuhan.
Nama kau pun zakwan apasal tak pakai nama arab?

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