PUTRAJAYA: Muslims must avoid being passive spectators who allow Islam to be hijacked by certain quarters for their chauvinistic reasons.
The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah said that Muslims who love and understand Islam’s teachings, should not become the silent majority when their religion is being misused.
"Religion is a strong force which can attract people to mobilise themselves.
“That is why religion is vulnerable to be misused as an instrument to gain the narrow ambitions of certain people or groups; if the public can be convinced, without first examining the facts and the authenticity, and without thinking, accept their religious slogan or rhetoric,” said Sultan Nazrin while delivering his royal address at the National Islamic Affairs Council Golden Jubilee celebration, here.
He said the ummah’s progress should not merely rely on the legacy and idealism of Islam’s glory days of the past.
Instead, the survival of the ummah must be based on strong minds with an unshakable confidence to compete; and not via intimidation, which could lead to prejudice and make Muslims feel alienated when they are surrounded by non-Muslims.
"Intimidating the ummah is similar to the culture of scaring Malay children in the villages in the era before and after independence, when they were told of ghost and vampire stories.
"This had destroyed the children's courage and they become cowards. Instilling excessive fear among the ummah will be a great lost because the ummah will not have the confidence to compete in a bigger global arena,” he said.
Sultan Nazrin also said Islam must be upheld by its followers through their behaviour, and not by the branding of a country.
He added countries and organisations could not claim to be Islamic if their people did not practice what it takes to be a true Muslim.