Rooting For An Islamic State

[First posted on Malaysia-Today.net on September 2, 2007]

While still savoring the euphoria of the 50^th Merdeka celebration, this thought comes to mind: If I were a non-Muslim Malaysian, I would be fervently rooting for an Islamic State of Malaysia (ISM). This may sound irrational, but bear with me as I elaborate.

First and foremost, I would become a hero among Malaysian Muslims. They are a significant number, in fact the majority at 60 percent. Even those with the dullest political instinct will readily appreciate that in a democracy, when the majority treats you as a hero, you are definitely bound for greater heights.

Second, with 60 percent of the population consumed with religion, it would leave the other 40 percent who are non-Muslims to service the worldly needs of the “pious” ones. Imagine the economic bonanza from the enlarged market and reduced competition!

Third, in an Islamic State, the charging of interests (ribaa) would be haram (not permissible). Muslims would not be allowed to partake in economic activities involving the charging of interests. As modern capitalism is built upon credit (the flip side of loan interests), this would effectively leave the entire capitalistic market, in particular finance, to non-Muslims. Again, another bonanza!

Economic Bonanza of An Islamic State

Imagine if I were a banker. I would have to offer interest-free deposits in deference to Islamic sensitivity. To entice them I would make sure that my customers would be treated like royalty, offering them complimentary teh tarik and roti canai every time they make their deposit. I would also provide space in the lobby for them to pray, anything to attract them and their interest-free deposits. My marketing ploy would be: “We keep your money pure and secure!” The bank’s investment returns from the free deposits would more than recoup the costs of the prayer space as well as the complimentary tea and roti.

I would of course not be able to charge borrowers interests. That should pose minimal problem as I could recoup by charging up-front administrative and other fees. Unlike interests where the lender would have to collect them over the term of the loan, these fees are collected up-front when the loan is disbursed. That is a big boost to the cash flow.

Islamic banking is now so lucrative such that even “un-Islamic” institutions like Citibank and HSBC are rushing to enter the sector. Rest assured they are doing so not because they are enamored with Islamic finance principles rather there are hefty profits to be made and a ready market. Anything with the Islamic imprimatur sells with Muslims!

There are other “minor” advantages to an Islamic state like having the entire gambling and hospitality industry (they serve alcohol!) in non-Muslim hands. Now only if the ulamas would make cigarettes haram!

The Muslim world laments the fact that modern finance and banking are in Jewish hands. That did not happen by accident, the special talent of the Jewish people, or through the will of God. Rather through the quirks of history, medieval Christians (like Muslims today) believed that the charging of interests was sinful. No Christians could partake in such activities. Consequently by default, those activities fell to the Jews. Centuries later, they have enhanced their skills.

Today, with enlightened interpretations of the Scriptures through the works of such reformers as John Calvin, partaking in loans and the charging of interests are no longer viewed as sinful. On the contrary, they are seen as legitimate rewards of economic enterprises and as incentives to save. Now the Christians are also dominant in banking and finance. Even the Vatican has its own banks.

Equality of Believers

The only differentiating criteria in an Islamic state would be your faith: believers versus non-believers. Concepts of race, culture, ethnicity, or nationality are alien in Islam. Thus with ISM, there cannot be differentiation between Bumiputras and non-Bumiputras. That should warm the hearts of non-Bumiputras, if the earlier mentioned economic considerations are not already appealing enough.

Yes, there will be differentiation between Muslims and non-Muslims. It cannot be too overt or discriminatory, as that would risk the civilized world’s condemnation and consequent economic and other sanctions. Even Australia and South Africa, despite their much greater resources, could not sustain their blatantly racist White Australia and Apartheid policies respectively.

An Islamic state would follow the dictates of the Quran, meaning, meaning there would be no place for corruption or the Internal Security Act. Hooray for that!

If non-Muslims were smart enough they would spend their cash not in bribing corrupt Malay leaders but donating that money to building mosques and madrasahs. They may not get their contracts or datukship but they would have earned the even more valuable community’s goodwill. The money used to corrupt the officials and leaders creates no “socially redeeming value.” It would make them even more corrupt; next time around they would demand even more. Worse, those bribers would end up being viewed by the masses as enemies of the people; not a good position to be in.

Expanding Chinese Schools

Extending my argument, if ardent advocates of Chinese schools were really smart, they would recruit teachers from China to teach Islamic Studies in their schools. Then watch Malay parents flock to enroll their children. To sweeten the pot, these schools could dedicate a classroom for use as the community surau, and then have their canteens refrain from serving pork and other non-halal items. It would not kill those non-Muslim students to be deprived of their pork-laden snacks at recess; they could have their fill when they get home. Follow my suggestions and watch PAS and UMNO outbidding each other in expanding Chinese schools!

Apart from increasing the usage of Mandarin, such moves are also generous gestures to the community by helping these young Malays become more employable in the private sector.

The Chinese community could also give bright young Malays scholarships to study in China. When they return, they would sing heavenly praises of the Peoples Republic, quite apart from being fluent in Mandarin! Learn from the colonialists; look at the unabashed Anglophiles among Malaysians.

With the obsession on religion as a consequent of ISM, Malays would be flocking to the madrasahs and the Islamic Studies faculties of local universities. The competition for medical and other professional schools would thus be significantly reduced.

While Muslim students would have to take extra classes in Quran reading and hadith recitations to ensure for themselves a slot in heaven, non-Muslims could spend their time preparing for the USMLE and securing a position at an American hospital, or studying for their GRE (for graduate studies) or GMAT (for entry into MBA programs). Or simply enroll in extra English classes to enhance their marketability.

As a Muslim I wholeheartedly support the concept of an Islamic state. That should not surprise anyone; that statement however is not meaningful or even enlightening. It is like asking whether you support law and order. Of course you do! No one is against the concept; it is the content that is at issue. There is after all law and order even in North Korea.

If by an Islamic state we mean one based on the Quranic refrain of, “Command good and forbid evil,” then we – Muslims and non-Muslims alike – would agree. If on the other hand the Islamic state were to be modeled along present-day Iran or Taliban Afghanistan, where women are denied education and the rule of law is what the clergy deems it to be, then even Muslims would demur.

Judging from the muddled statements from Imam Islam Hadhari Abdullah, even he does not know exactly what the term Islamic state would entail. Thus I fail to understand the hysteria among Malaysians over such a nebulous concept. Those in UMNO and PAS who are supportive of an Islamic state have yet to define exactly their vision. There is a reason for that; they do not have a clue!

For Malays, ISM, both the Islam Hadhari variety as well as the PAS version, would be an unmitigated disaster. It would deeply divide us, marginalize us economically, and going by the experience of Iran, push us away from our faith.

Chinese leaders (in the Barisan coalition as well as the opposition) view with deep consternation Malay leaders’ obsession with an Islamic state. Instead of needlessly worrying about an undefined concept, these Chinese leaders should instead learn from their rich culture; they should understand that to every crisis is an opportunity. The current obsession in Malaysia over the Islamic state is not a crisis, rather a unique, and I dare say, a potentially highly rewarding opportunity.