Religionism

It was happy fortune to be present at my cousin's wedding over the weekend. She was the gorgeous bride and he, the strapping young lad. May their fortunes be blessed with goodness.

What did trouble me was the kadi, a person whose responsibility in the ceremony is akin to the priest in Christian weddings. Just before the ceremony, while waiting for the groom to arrive, the kadi and the uncles sat around, shared a smoke and drank some teh tarik. The banter was polite, but at a table full of Malays, my presence as a Chinese face was soon explained to the kadi, "This is Aizuddin, the son of one of our sisters. She married a Chinese."

An almost necessary introduction, given the circumstances and something i'm had to smile through countless times over the years. When he was then told my parents live in Australia, the kadi started a retelling of his experience during a visit he made there.

He started out well enough, cracking jokes about how he was the appointed "halal food finder". Then suddenly he took a turn in the conversation that made my skin crawl: he said that Australians, though kafir (unbelievers, infidels), were a decent bunch of people. This too, i've heard many times before, and i knew what was coming.

First the praise -- [insert any non-Muslims] are good people, hardworking, kind hearted, etc, etc, etc. Then the kicker -- "But they are kafir, and they are all going to burn in Hell forever." Then the optional add-on -- [insert any random quotation from the Quran (there are many) stating the kafirs going to Hell].

It was all i could do to try and keep a straight face, stoic and quiet, unlike my uncles who were all being politely agreeable, nodding and smiling to the kadi's words. Inside my heart, i felt a rush of anger. At the first available break in the conversation, i left the table with some mumbled excuse. It was a wedding, after all, thus not the place to break into religious arguments and debate.

This is probably the part of Islam i have the most difficulty with: the documented intolerance, and, depending on the version of the translation you rely on and depending on the interpretation of the reader, the absolute vehemence Islam holds for non-Muslims. Without exception, Muslims are required to believe that ALL non-Muslims are destined for Hell FOREVER. The Quran seems quite absolute and clear on this point.

The kadi infuritated me with his holier-than-thou attitude he sported during the conversation: "They've got a nice country, they are nice people, but ha-ha, they're all going to Hell."

The afterlife, life after death, is a crucial component of many religions. Religion helps us understand what happens to us after death, to give us comfort, a sense of purpose and a belief of continuity. What i don't understand is why Islam has to be so negative in its description of what the after-life holds in store for non-Muslims.

Perhaps, Islam sees it as (a) an incentive for Muslims, and (b) an answer to what happens to non-Muslims -- thus creating a sense of superiority? Arrogance? I can see how such thoughts enter and manipulate the minds of Muslims who murder innocent non-Muslims, most often seen in recent times in acts of terrorism. God will forgive me, i'm killing "infidels". Its the type of warped logic that appeals to suicide bombers and self-proclaimed martyrs.

Rascism. Nationalism. Fascism. All the other -isms. Common in their ideology is the belief that they represent something superior, better, more deserving than the "other". Though it was perhaps not meant to be that way, Islam has created Muslims who believe in religionism.