Open Letter from Hanan to Malaysia PM (4Feb2009)

Hanan's another piece...

Subject: Coments about the "SPEECH AT PRESENTING THE TRUE FACE OF ISLAM TO THE WORLD" you gave in Moscow

Dear Malaysian PM, Abdullah Bin Haji Ahmad Badawi,

Referring to your speech text: http://www.pmo.gov.my/WebNotesApp/Abdullah.nsf/hv_PMKiniSemasaNew/75373FDB9424206C48257301000A309D.
Many parts of your speech are very logical and rational. But unfortunately some parts are camouflaging extreme views with moderation like your interpretation of Islam. It is really not important what you think about Islam since all the rest of the world is just thinking the opposite. Can it be that the whole world is "drunk" and lost their wisdom? I'm very sorry to say that the image of Islam these days is created by Muslims and only by Muslims. When a criminal is getting the name of a criminal it is not because the Media was saying that he is a criminal? It is because everyone saw that man doing crimes. and if there are some criminals living that neighborhood, the image of that place is a place of crime even some good people are living there. and when you are passing a street at that neighborhood you are watching well your steps since you don't know who is the criminal and who is the honest. This is the analogy of the image of Muslims. Only Muslims must "repair" that image
because at the end of the day people will avoid passing in their neighborhood.

What are you expecting the western world to think if they see in the media how Muslims are behaving. I'll provide you with some examples:
1) What is the reason for Yemen men to wear a sword on their waist? Is this a view of peaceful people? Is the sword a peace "tool"? Whatever your answer is alike: "tradition", "folklore" "habit" or something else to invent, the truth is that they are wearing the sword for the Jihad opportunity. They are ready for the Jihad by sword any second.
2) Muslims spoiled their own image among themselves and among the west. Just look what Muslims are doing to their own brothers in Gaza. The barbaric Hammas terrorist took over the Gaza street with violence, killing brutally the Fatah members, entering into hospitals and killing wounded Fatah members, throwing them down from tall buildings to their death, tread their own flag and demolishing the monument of the Palestinian unknown soldier (who is a shaheed, a holy soldier who donated his life in the name of Allah).
3) On a daily basis Iraqi Muslims are killing other Iraqi Muslims. Not one per day, tens per day if not more. Is this the civilized Islam? Are the moderate and "good" Muslims ready to educate these people what means Islam Hadhari? Are those people willing to learn? You are speaking about this Hadhari for many years. Beside speaking about it, did you ever tried to be practical and "push" proactively your thoughts? Practice is not meaning to motorize the mouth muscles it means to roll back the sleeves and use some "hands on" to solve the problems. A leader may be (and of course it is recommended) a good speaker, but first of all he must be an excellent practicing performer. Instead of promising, doing, doing and doing.

You said: "WE HAVE DECIDED TO URGE THE MUSLIMS IN MALAYSIA TO ADOPT ISLAM HADHARI OR CIVILIZATIONAL ISLAM AS THE CORRECT WAY OF ADHERING TO THE FAITH". Well, that's very good even discrimination of other religions in Malaysia is still happening and there are some evidences on that which can be proved (but this is not the main issue at the moment). If you are so concerned about what can happen in our world, why aren't you doing something dramatically instead of speaking on the different arenas around the globe on a probably weekly basis. Why aren't you sending out of Malaysia some very good Muslim scholars to Iraq and Gaza to teach them the right Islam? Your leading of the OIC can give you extra advantage to do it. Well, it looks like my words are stupidity since I should be aware that that OIC position is just for honor, speaking, not for hard work.

Do you think that the west does care about your nice speeches about the moderate Islam. The world needs action and see things are getting solved. Let's talk after doing something concrete. Just to compare things, did something improve in the world since you are the PM of Malaysia because of your speeches on an almost weekly basis? Bottom line, what are your achievements since you are in position of PM for the global community. You are asking others to contribute for that peace, but what did you?

You said that Islam is a religion and a way of life of the Muslims. Possibly you are right and the evidence is that there are several Muslim countries that are implementing the Islam law, like your country. That's fine as long as this is an internal affair. Have you heard about Jews? I assume you heard. Do you know that Judaism is a religion and a way of life as well and is a bit elder that Islam? Do you know that the land of Israel was a Jewish kingdom before Islam ever showed up in history? Muslims are tending to distort history and claim Palestine as a Muslim land. Since when is it a Muslim land? any place Muslims are building a mosque is becoming a Muslim land? Any place where Jews are building a synagogue is becoming a Jewish land? Well if Muslims deserve a land for their religion and for their life, then Jews are also deserving a land for their religion and life in the name of human equality. And why not Christians? The coin is not single sided. Why am I saying this?
It is because you are always talking about a dialog between civilizations but never had the courage or wisdom to recognize Israel. It is not only because of the conflict we have with the Palestinians, it is because Israel is a Jewish state and not a Muslim state. In what is Malaysia different from Turkey, Egypt or Jordan? Is Turkey less Muslim than Malaysia, or Jordan, or Egypt? You claim to be moderate but you are in practice extreme. You claim dialog but in practice you are doing it very selectively. what does it mean? It means that some of the people you like and some you don't. No one can enforce you to have dialog with the people you dislike. In the same way you cannot enforce others to have dialog with people they don't like. the western world is not saying it directly, but it is disliking Muslims and some Muslim countries (like Iran). Can you enforce them to have dialog with Muslims?

Anyhow, I'm not that kind of person. I have and strive to have dialog and even deep arguments with everyone, including Muslims worldwide. I'm even trying to have a dialog with you for several years, but I can understand your work overload and your ignorance of my letters is accepted. At least I hope you read them before you throw them away to the trash. since it is written on recycled electrons and not paper, it is even a "green" way to save our planet.

Another thing before I end up this letter and go to bed. The western world is"upset" with Muslims because their contribution to humanity is relatively low. Muslims gave some contribution to humanity in their early days like the Algebra, but since then... On the other hand you may observe in the modern era what is the relatively Jews contribution to science, medicine, literature, philosophy and other fields in relation to their population worldwide. Definitely, we are the people of the book as the Quran is describing it. We are just 13 Million people worldwide and what a contribution? Just compare the number of Nobel awards that were given to Jewish and the awards given to Muslims. The Jews are just 1% comparing to Muslim population and 0.2% to the whole world population. I'm not saying it in order to play arrogant, I'm saying it just because I'm proud of my Jewish people as you are proud of the Muslims.

My weekly epigram ©:
There are two kinds of blood donations. One is to heal humankind in the name of God and the other is to kill humankind in the name of God
Hanan L.

Hanan,
Israel