THERE has been a call from both Muslim and non-Muslim quarters to terminate Jakim. I disagree. Aside from the fact that such a move will provide PAS and Umno with great political ammunition, Jakim should stay because its presence can turn Malaysia around in its nation-building effort. 

In a nutshell, Jakim and all the religious institutions in Malaysia have in some ways destroyed the concept of nation building in this country. Please do not ask me to justify this statement, or else this article will turn into a book. For now I am most excited at the prospect of suggesting a rethinking of this critical institution following two important pronouncements of Dr Mahathir. Firstly, he said “We will ensure that Jakim does not portray Islam as cruel and inconsiderate.” Secondly, he said “We like to impose religion, when the Quran says there is no compulsion in Islam”. 

Dr Mahathir is not an academic or a scholar but he is a leader who has critical views of society and he has summed up the issue in a most succinct and simple manner. The three keywords, cruelty, inconsiderate and compulsion, in many ways sum up the 60-year-old problem of Islam in Malaysia and also relate to what is happening at the global scene.

From my simple understanding, the original role of Jakim in its inception is to do three things. Firstly, it is supposed to present a more “rational and modern Islam” as opposed to the “ustaz-politics’ of PAS and the rising call for Islam to be a central constitutional game player. Secondly, it is to be a kind of unofficial mediator to the many versions of jurisprudence and attitudes of Islam managed in the different states of Malaysia. Thirdly, it is to serve as an enforcer for minor infractions to the code of conduct of Muslims in the federal territory. However, in the Najib era, he had raised the enforcement role to the point of banning books which I doubt the previous home minister or his secretary could appreciate or understand. In this role, Jakim 2.0 was a destructive force to nation building because it interfered with thinking individuals’ efforts to redefine the narrow-minded constructs of Islam from the ulamak into a more considerate, less cruel and non-compulsive nature of Islam.

In our newfound democracy, where all of us are responsible for the fate of Malaysia, I wish to propose the role and focus of Jakim 3.0. Aside from the minor role of misconduct enforcement, Jakim must be a training ground to reeducate the thousands of ustaz who lecture at mosques, schools and educational institutions and who have been instrumental in “unknowingly” destroying the very fabric of our coexistence. Although these ustaz and ustazah have undergone religious training at diploma, degree, masters or doctorate level, they lack the understanding, appreciation and concern for building the nation. These teachers of Islam are only interested in being true to their teachings without knowing that theirs is but a narrow understanding of Islam within a civilisational construct. All of these teachers must undergo an intensive training course that would result in their new “tauliah” of teaching. After these teachers are trained, attention can then turn to the mosque management committee which I will deal with in another article. 

What will this new training course look like? Firstly there must be a module on Islam as part of human civilisation and development. This anthropological, philosophical and historical module aims to tell these teachers that Islam was a part of the evolution of man searching for his place in this earth beyond the rule of the jungle in order to find personal peace, social harmony and environmental fit. The real Islam is not 1,400 years old but as old as man’s existence on this earth. Part of this module will require the ustaz and ustazah to visit and interact with other religious institutions in order to bridge the simple gap – that they are all talking about the same thing. Only the rituals and mannerisms are different. The ultimate aims and values of all great religious faiths are the same if one wears the right spectacles to see. It is because we see only what has been presented to us through culture and history of our own race and faith that we fail to appreciate the bigger side of things.

Secondly, the ustaz and ustazah must undergo a module in communication. These teachers have never been professionally trained to speak or write. They speak like their teachers and they speak guided by their ego and emotion. In a modern knowledge transfer construct these methods are more destructive than constructive. I have read hundreds of sermons and listened to thousands of religious lectures. Some of the flaws of communication are the criticising of another faith without proper research and understanding of the issue, reluctance to share common values of goodness across cultures and faiths, ignoring mass murders by Muslim extremists and using an instructional format of sermons and speeches as opposed to a more persuasive and motivational approach. Furthermore, communication goes beyond writing and speaking and includes aspects of behaviours and attitudes towards others that can potentially impart a certain message.

Finally, these ustaz and ustazah must undergo a module on universal spirituality. What is the message of this module? Simply that no one knows the end of one’s or anyone’s lives. The Prophet Muhammad was absolutely clear on that. With that simple reveaation no one should look down or judge anyone just because they do not wear the same clothes, eat the same food or pray the same way. The message is that differences complement and do not necessarily hold an element of conflict. In this module, it will be taught that institutions such as those belonging to politics, education and even religion are fallible and susceptible to abuse and falsehood. 

With respect to the important question of retraining the Jakim officers, first of all, I would not trust the task to anyone who have been trained all their lives in Islam. In my academic career I have met many so called scholars in Islam who have been immersed in religious teachings from day one, and I have never found anyone in whom I can place the trust to build this nation. What I hope for is one who is trained in Islam and other disciplines and have also stayed for more than one year in a Muslim minority country. It goes without saying that most of the officers in Jakim need to retrained and also reeducated. Perhaps give them a one year scholarship in mass communication or anthropology and put them where Muslims are in the minute minority to teach them to be more humble about multi-faith and multi-cultural co-existence. 

I would also like to recommend that the Jakim board of directors comprise of 50% of Social Scientists not from the religious. It would be most preferable that 50% of these social scientists are non-Muslims. This combination would create the important knowledge and nation building balance much lacking in Islamic institutions in modern society. 

Islam will be a strong social and political force in the new Malaysia. Only by providing Islam with a more liberal educated and inclusive Muslim citizenry, it can blossom into an important nation building element. Jakim can be the central force of enlightenment into our uncharted future.

* Dr Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi is professor at UCSI University.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.