Dear Messrs. Ynnatchkah & Bastile
Reader comment on item: John Esposito and Karen Armstrong – Banned in Malaysia
in response to reader comment: Malaysia looks to be a very dangerous and obscure nation

Submitted by Marco Hiirata (Malaysia), Feb 13, 2008 at 21:42

Dear Messrs. Ynnatchkah & Bastile,

I read both your comments. Whilst there is validity in comments from Mr. Bastile, to say that Malaysia is dangerous and will follow the path of degeneration vis-a-vis "other Muslim states" really makes me one to laugh. Well, I dont blame any of you since you live and read something from far-far away land.

No sirs. I am not a proud Malaysian, aloof and living in an illusion. For one reason, many Muslims like me are educated abroad. Many of us. From the US, UK, Australia, Russia, Europes, Japan, Korea, etc. The new generation of well-educated Middle-class, whether Muslims or non-Muslims are rising rapidly. And that's a good sign because as education gets better the populace will not generate into Talibans.

The only problem we have here is a government that is self-serving and MYOPIC!. Myopic in the sense that the citizens have changed and moving ahead in self-development whilst the government is well behind thinking and wetting themselves in the same archaic attitudes and policies.

There is another point which you must understand about emprical observationns of under-developed countries. Take a ref to that yearly UNDP reports for discussion. There are a host of failed states in under-developed countries already from the beginning - "Muslims" or non-Muslims. Yup I wrote with a " ". Thus if a country like Afghanistan which traditionally is already a failed state, do one say it is because of Islam or the nation is fulled of Muslims? Hogwash to me. Then what do you say of underdeveloped countries in Africa or Asia that are predominantly non-Muslims? Do you attritube their non-Muslimness as a cause to their under-development?

There is no such thing as a "Muslim" country. Even we Muslims in Malaysia refer loosely to a country as "Muslim" because that country is predominantly Muslim. Beyond that we are clever enough to know that our so-called "Muslims" leaders in all "Muslim" countries have already failed us all. Nothing to do about Islam. It is just back to that unbridled human greed, naturally corrupt, and to some states, failure due to over-subservient to major powers that manipulate them.

Personally to me, to tie economic development per se to a religiosity index is a hogwash to me. You can run a complex regression analysis on the thing but you will get a crappy result. I have lived in the US for 10 years. The morality and humane consciousness in the US has denegerated so much till today which that having said I still cannot tie that variable down as to her economic progress. Perhaps some economits can go fot it and earn a Nobel prize.

Failed states per UNDP report has nothing as to do as to what religion there is. It is mainly due to backward cultures, traditions, and poor vision & corrupt leaders. And the poor case in Malaysia, we have an archaic government controliing the media and feeding us with daily diversional news and conspicuously refraining to report news that really matters in the front page like manipulation of political powers for one's economic gains. In this current BN government all politicians and the well-connected are making money. Know what, all these "Muslim" and "non-Muslims" jointly assist each other to make money. So what crap is there? Empirically speaking that is.

Lastly, be careful to generally tie religiosity to other variables in our daily lives. I am pro-religion. Not sir, I dont mean Islam. I mean I am pro to all people embracing a religion. You see readers, if I may talk in parables, I would like aliken religious people pretty much to Michael Jordan. Give M Jordan any shoes and he can still shoot ball. Give any religion to me and I will still be that same good man.. If I were not born a Muslim, I would have embraced Cristianity and still, I am that same good man. You say religion is bad. I say religion is good. It is our soul that we need to change. And believe me we have perfect control over our souls.

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