Dressed in a modern gray suit teamed with a black skull cap, Malaysian cleric Asri Zainul Abidin is the poster boy for liberal Muslims who are tussling with hardliners in this multi-ethnic nation.
Asri, 39, is considered one of Malaysia’s top Islamic theologians and has a growing following of young, educated Muslims who are drawn by his moderate views.
However, the thoroughly modern mufti now faces trial on charges that could land him in jail for two years in what his supporters say is an attempt to muzzle liberal voices in Muslim-majority Malaysia.
“Yes, there is a battle for Islam between the conservatives and progressives in Malaysia,” Asri said.
“We will enter the dark ages if we allow the conservatives to win,” he said.
Asri has been charged under Shariah law for giving a lecture on Islam in November last year without authorization.
However, the cleric says his real offense has been to enrage the country’s religious establishment, which has become increasingly strident in recent times, imposing caning sentences that have rarely if ever been enforced before.
Shariah courts — which operate alongside the civil courts in a dual-track system — recently ordered three young Muslim women to be caned for having extramarital sex.
Another mother-of-two also faced a thrashing after being caught drinking beer, but after her case hit the headlines, she was ordered to do a spell of community service instead.
“Now they just say punish, punish and punish. Religion is not about punishment. Right now we have to educate the people. It is not the right time to impose punishment,” Asri said.
“The right thing to do now is to educate. You must make it easy for people to get married by giving them financial aid so they will not indulge in extramarital sex,” he said.
Straddling the fault line in the debate are Malaysia’s minority races who are concerned over rising “Islamization” and fear that tolerance toward Christians, Hindus and others is diminishing.
A series of disputes has erupted between majority Muslim Malays and minority ethnic Chinese and Indians in recent years, straining relations half a century after the founding of the secular nation.
A simmering row over the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslims saw attacks on 11 churches, a mosque and two Muslim prayer halls, including fire-bombings and vandalism.
Asri, who was the mufti of Perlis state until 2008 and is now a university lecturer, said the conservatives are ramping up their rhetoric and imposing harsh punishments in a bid to cement their power base.
“They can win the battle, but with the age of the Internet where information is easily available, they cannot win the hearts and minds of the young and educated Muslims who wants answers based on reason,” he said.
Chandra Muzaffar, a political scientist and Islamic reformist, described Asri as a progressive and inclusive Muslim.
“He represents the essence of Islam. He recognizes the rights of other faiths and regards them as part of a larger human family,” Chandra said.
Chandra said that while he believed the views of the conservatives were not shared by the majority of ordinary Muslims, the moderates were generally failing to speak out.
He said that had given free reign to a small but vocal minority of conservatives, represented by the religious bureacrats who are the guardians of Islam in each of Malaysia’s states.
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