Islam Hadhari Guide For Muslim @ Majalah Syu'latul Kifah

ISLAM HADHARI GUIDE FOR MUSLIM

MALAYSIA yesterday proposed Islam Hadhari as a solution to the problems facing Muslims worldwide and as a guide to their successful future. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah said Islam Hadhari was a working model of renewal, reform and revivalism for the Muslim world.

"It is not a new religion or mazhab. It is not a new ideology. It is a guide for our (Muslim nations) development," Abdullah said in an address at the opening of the Third Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Summit Conference at the Al-Safa Palace here.

Speaking as head of the nation chairing the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), he said the concept that he had introduced was being aggressively promoted in Malaysia. The offer to OIC leaders to consider Islam Hadhari as a model for growth is timely as the grouping of 57 Muslim nations considers reforms for it to play a more effective role on the world stage.

The meeting also hopes to help the Islamic ummah regain their self-confidence. Abdullah said Islam Hadhari, or what he called "civilization Islam", was aimed at enhancing the quality of life through the mastery of knowledge and the development of individuals and the nation.
"It is intended as a integrated and balanced development that creates a knowledgeable and pious people who hold noble values. People who are honest, trustworthy and prepared to take on global issues," he said.

Abdullah said Islam Hadhari was neither a concept to pacify the West, nor an approach to apologies for the perceived "Islamic threat". It was also not aimed at seeking approval from non-Muslims for a more friendly and gentle image of Islam. "It is an approach that seeks to make Muslims understand that progress is enjoined by Islam. "It is an approach that is compatible with modernization and yet firmly rooted in the noble values as injunctions of Islam.

"It is an approach that emphasizes substance over form." Abdullah then spoke of the 10 fundamental principles of Islam Hadhari. While admitting that Malaysia did not have all the answers to the many problems of the Muslim world, Abdullah said it was Malaysia’s wish that it be a showcase of a successful and modern Muslim country.

He also outlined nine courses of action that the 36-year-old body had to undertake to remain relevant to the cause of uplifting the ummah. These acts, among others, were aimed at restoring the true image of Islam, which had been harmed by terrorist attacks carried out in the name of the religion.

The steps were:

• conscientiously promoting and fostering unity among Muslims by emphasizing matters which united them, not those which divided them;

• to be more adept in harnessing the resources which they have at their disposal through innovative measures;

• undertaking capacity-building measures to enable all Muslims, particularly women, to realizes their full potential;

• strengthening trade and economic linkages among themselves as a means of benefiting more from the globalization process and moving into the mainstream of the global economy;

• putting their houses in better order by combating corruption, promoting good governance, increasing transparency and accountability;

• being more articulate and convincing the wider world that Islam was a religion of peace, tolerance, and moderation which promoted progress;

• urgently establishing a mechanism to enable OIC countries, during natural disasters, to quickly respond with financial and other forms of assistance in a co-ordinates manner;

• never letting up support for the Palestinian cause; and,

• Doing its part to fight international terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, irrespective of race and religion.

Edisi 5 Tahun 2007