PUMPP Press Release Translation

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Written on 2:52 PM by Walski69

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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.

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Malay Covenant Congress Resolution (A Translation)

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Written on 12:26 AM by Walski69

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This post contains my own translation of the Resolusi Kongress Permuafakatan Melayu (Malay Covenant Congress Resolution), which concluded on Sunday, May 4th, 2008. The version of the resolution may not be the final one.

The original resolution is in Bahasa Malaysia, and can be found here (via Qaiyum.net). This is probably not the best, or most accurate, of translations, but it's the closest that I could come up with, and probably conveys the gist of what the resolution is all about.

Constitution

  1. Defend the special rights and position of the Malays, as enshrined in the constitution
  2. Oppose any ammendments that can weaken the soveriegnity and position of the Malays in the Constitution and Laws of Malaysia
  3. Oppose all arbitrary interpretations of any constitutional articles, selectively done for the sake of self-importance and racism

Politics

  1. Request that the Malay Rulers Council to perfectly carry out the task, responsibility and obligation to fend for and protect the entire Malay soveriegnity
  2. Oppose any human rights interpretations and democratic processes that set aside Malay soveriegnity
  3. Demand that Constitutional provisions and bodies of law pertaining to national governance are maintained
  4. Oppose any effort to politicize local government administration for the sake of maintaining peacefulness for all the people
  5. To fight for the role of Malay soveriegnity as the core and ideology of Malay political parties, and reject any foreign ideology pertaining to a Malaysian Malaysia
  6. Insist that Malay political parties fight for and develop strategic thinking for the endurance and direct application of Malay soveriegnity

(remainder of the translation, in the full post)

Economy

  1. Demand the implementation of social justice and equal distribution of wealth for all citizens, as provided for in the Federal Constitution
  2. Demand the implementation of the redistribution of economic ownership to achieve the aim of abolishment and eradication of race based economic activity
  3. Widen the Economic Jihad movement, based on two broad targets, firstly to develop a dynamic stimulus for and empower the Malay community until the objective of 65% [economic] control is achieved, and secondly to reconstruct the economic system so that it is fairer and more equitable.
  4. To create strategies for increased participation of Malay corporate bodies, with the aim of being dominant in the national and international economies

Islam

  1. Demand effective control over the construction of houses of worship for other religions based on the principal of need based on community size and location.
  2. Reject the idea of religious pluralism, which is against the nation's Constitution.

Malay Language

  1. Reject any efforts to create a multiligualistic policy in this country
  2. Demand that Article 152 of the Constitution be maintained, pertaining to the Malay language as the national language of the Federation
  3. Ensure the position of the Malay language as the primary language of knowledge building and encouraging translations into the Malay language, and abolishing the use of English as the medium of instruction in all institutes of higher learning
  4. Demand that the policy of teaching and examinations of Science and Mathematics entirely in the Malay language be implemented
  5. Encourage the use of Jawi script as one of the forms of writing the Malay language

Education

  1. Empower the national-type education system as the core of the national education system
  2. Insist on the increased usage of the national language in the National Education System as the communication and knowledge vehicle to achieve racial development
  3. Ensure that the education delivery gap is eradicated nationwide
  4. Insist that nationhood studies, based on the Rukun Negara, is taught at all levels of schooling and higher education
  5. Ensure that all private educational systems give priority to nationalistic elements in their teaching and learning systems
  6. Insist that oral Malay language tests at all levels of examinations are implemented

Culture

  1. Insistance that the National Cultural Policy be the basis for our image, nationally and internationally
  2. Application of Islamic values and national culture as the basis of profound and meaningful practices within the Malaysian society
  3. Strongly reject any idea, underlying principle, and implementation of multiculturalism, using skewed interpretations of the Constitution

Should you have any corrections, or improvements to offer, please do so via the comments.

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