Breaking the Silence — Determined to speak out

Jan 29, 2016

KUALA LUMPUR: Over the past couple months, the G25 Group of Moderate Muslims have been labelled “extremist, dangerous, anti-Islam, deviationist, biadab (disrespectful) and disloyal to the King.”

The group of senior retired civil servants first made the news in December 2014, with an open letter about their concerns on areas of conflict and overlap between civil and syariah law. Their call for consultation to harmonise syariah laws and the Federal Constitution gained support and inspired an “I am #26” petition.

There were some opponents, notes founder member Datuk Latifah Merican Cheong, former assistant governor of Bank Negara and former programme director with the World Bank. Groups such as Perkasa “caricatured and made fun of us. But they quietened down when others supported us”.

But as G25 marked their first anniversary in December 2015 with a forum, Islam in a Constitutional Democracy, and a book, Breaking the Silence: Voices of Moderation - Islam in a Constitutional Democracy, the criticism started again — in both the mainstream and social media.

Another founder member, former diplomat and deputy chairman of the Foreign Policy Study Group Datuk M. Redzuan Kushairi, left the board of the Global Movement of Moderates Foundation (GMMF) this month. Pioneer trustee Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai has also resigned.

“I thought it was natural for GMMF and G25 to work together,” Redzuan says.

At the G25 forum in December last year, GMMF Chairman Tan Sri Razali Ismail spoke on moderation. But the new GMM CEO Nasharudin Mat Isa reportedly saw G25 as a danger, whose views could challenge the position of Islam and whose positions were extreme, Redzuan points out.

Latifah thinks the recent attacks on G25 could be because the group is seen to be making a bigger impact.

“It is possible that they see we could be effective, or because we are raising questions about the bureaucracy and the bureaucratisation of Islam,” she adds. “There will be detractors and they will see us as a threat.” It is unIslamic to jump to conclusions and accuse others, let alone fellow Muslims, without trying to ascertain the truth, adds Redzuan. “Otherwise, it will be fitnah (slander), a very serious sin in Islam.”

G25 is undeterred by the slurs and is still focussed on its goals. “We are not responding to every criticism,” says Latifah. “We still want to focus on the big picture.”

Adds Redzuan, “We don’t want to get ‘ambushed’ and for small issues to be spun out of proportion as if they were the main concerns and objectives of G25.” -- TheStar