PUMPP Press Release Translation

Written on 2:52 PM by Walski69

Technorati tags: Translation, Bahasa Malaysia, Musawah, myAsylum

The following is an English translation of a press release issued by the Pulau Pinang (Penang) branch of the Malaysian Ulama Association (PUMPP). The original Bahasa Malaysia version of the release can be found here (via the PUMPP blog). This translation is referenced to in a posting on myAsylum, related to PUMPP's objection to the Musawah Global Meeting, currently being held in Kuala Lumpur.

PUMPP CONDEMNS MUSAWAH THAT BRINGS THE LIBERAL ISLAM AGENDA TO MALAYSIA AND CHALLENGES BASIC PRINCIPLES OF ISLAM

The Pulau Pinang branch of the Malaysian Ulama Association hereby strongly condemns the ‘Musawah’ program, i.e. Global Movement for Equality and Justice in the Muslim Family, organized by the major Malaysian proponent of the deviant Islam Liberal, Sisters in Islam (SIS). The Musawah meeting is seen to wish to challenge the many basic principles of Islam, particularly in the area of syariah laws pertaining to women and family, that have been agreed upon and accepted by the consensus of eminent ulama.

This meeting is expected to be attended by various Liberal Muslim personalities whom the eminent Islamic ulama find objectionable. Those who will attend include Muhammad Khalid Masud, chairman of the Islamic Ideology Council of Pakistan, Farida Bennani from Morocco, Sana Benachour (Tunisia), Hussein Muhammad (Indonesia), Ziba Mir-Hosseini (Britain), Zainah Anwar (Malaysia), Siti Musdah Mulia (Indonesia) and Nur Rofia (Indonesia), plus non-Muslim activists like Cassandra Balchin (UK), and many more.

200 Muslim Liberalists have been invited from 40 countries, and will meet at the 5-star The Prince Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, on February 13, 2009, to attend the 5 day meeting. This closed-door meeting also does not allow participation from any party other than those by their closed invitation. PUMPP sees this well-funded meeting as possibly being supported by Western interests with the intention of liberalizing Islam, and hopes that the authorities will investigate the source of funding for the program.

This meeting will also give a negative perception of Malaysia, which may be seen as a country practicing Shariah laws that discriminate against women, especially when the meeting will be brought to the attention of representatives from the United Nations, with the presence of Professor Yakin Erturk (The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women), who will officially launch the meeting.

(the rest of the translation, in the full post)

PUMPP also criticizes the presence of national leaders for the offical launch of the program as not referring beforehand to the national religious authorities in the country, such as Jakim and the Council of Muftis.

Work papers and workshops that are to be conducted during the meeting are seen to have the intention of reinterpreting al-Quran and al-Hadith from women’s perspectives, that which are said to have been male biased all this while. Musawah will likely present issues pertaining to male/female equality within Islamic families, through laws such as polygamy, faraid (inheritance distribution), wife obedience, permission to leave the home, female aurat (parts of the body that must be covered), etc. These laws are likely to be challenged, contravening all the commandments brought by al-Quran and al-Sunnah.

PUMPP also hopes that non-Muslim groups and communities are not influenced by these Liberal Islam groups’ propaganda and will not interfere in matters of faith and principles of Islamic teachings, just as Islam teaches its followers to not interfere, and to respect teachings of other religions, as is stated in the Quran:

لَكُمْ دِينُكُمْ وَلِيَ دِينِ
(109:6) Unto you, your religous law, and unto me, mine!

Therefore, PUMPP condemns the implementation of this program, and sees it as potentially further damaging the faith of Muslims in Malaysia, leading to disunity of the Muslim community, and lead to a wrong perception of Islam by all parties, including the world community present, who will look at the developments in Malaysia.

Posted in Language, Malaysia, miscellaneous |

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