By K. Siladass – The Mufti of Perlis, Dato Dr. Mohd Asri Zainal Abidin has made certain observations over the current tension between India and Pakistan which call for scrutiny. It would have been expected that he being a scholar in Islamic affairs, God fearing and holding a responsible position in the State of Perlis, he would have used his scholarship, critical thinking skills and aptitude to understand the issue or issues that had ignited the present armed conflict between India and Pakistan.
He could have rendered a reasoned view to the public whose understanding about the conflict are clouded by false and twisted narratives emanating from pedestrian thoughts. I believe that a prudent scholar will never rely on lopsided media versions whose aim is to spread narratives that could incite and ignite angry emotions in the people.
It must be reiterated that Malaysia is the home for many religions and its conspicuous features have always been to guard against extremism because anything said or done about race and religion could unsettle the fragile equilibrium. There could have been, and, indeed, there had been lapses in dealing with the recalcitrants in the past; that could be a sore point, but that does not mean Malaysians are abandoning their primary aim to achieve and preserve peace and harmony in the country. Viewing from that perspective, every fair thinking Malaysian will be asking whether the Perlis Mufti has exercised prudence and used his analytical mind to formulate the views he had so expressed.
When we talk about Malaysia being the home for many religions, is India any different? Almost all world religions found India as the safe place to flourish and that is history.
Mohd. Asri alleges that “we know that Pakistan is a Muslim country, and India is known to be an anti-Islamic country and one that oppresses Muslims within it….”
First of all, when he uses the term “we” he seems to imply that the Muslims in Perlis know “India is known to be an anti-Islamic country….” Or, is he suggesting that Malaysian Muslims, in general, share similar view as he does?
Let us examine Mohd. Asri’s allegation that India is an anti-Islamic country.
The late Mohammad Ali Jinnah and the Muslim League he helmed had decided that Hindus and Muslim cannot live in one country, therefore, demanded a separate state of Pakistan. When partition took place millions were affected and they began to move from their ancient homes to new homes, artificially created by a man who had no idea of India, its people, their culture and their religions. It was Sir Cyril Radcliff who drew the boundaries between newly formed India and Pakistan. The movements of the human race resulted in the deaths of millions. Death did not differentiate them as Hindus or Muslims, it lacked humane considerations and that was the beginning of calamity.
After the partition, it was said that the Urdu Speaking West Pakistanis were controlling the country. East Pakistanis felt that they were oppressed and their rights denied. It is a fact that, when Awami League led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman won sufficient seats to form the government in the general elections held in December 1970, the West Pakistan political Lords refused to honour the people’s choice. Since the democratic process had failed, the East Pakistanis began the civil disobedience movement. Martial law was declared, and Mujibur Rahman was arrested. In the meantime, Bangladesh Declaration of independence was announced triggering more violence ordered by the military junta in Rawalpindi, headed by Yahya Khan.
The Pakistan army showed no mercy to their fellow Muslims, in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. Their operations in the then East Pakistan has been described as genocidal and women’s dignity was destroyed as rapes were common.
The East Pakistanis Muslims of 1971 would not have rebelled against West Pakistanis had the latter not pursued a course of oppression and treated fellow Pakistanis unfit to be their equals. After all, they were brothers in Islam, then why was it that they could not live in one country with love and understanding.
Because of Pakistanis army’s inhumane atrocities, the East Pakistanis in millions sought refuge in India, thus causing humanitarian crisis. India had no choice but to intervene. War between India and Pakistan broke out on 3rd December 1971 and Pakistan capitulated on 16th December 1971. The East Pakistan declared its independence and the new nation was called Bangladesh. When the majority of East Pakistanis Muslims suffered at the hands of powerful West-Pakistanis, they sought the help of the Hindu-Majority India.
Next, let us look at another situation When Pakistan was created in the year of 1947, the Hindu population there was around 20.5%. In the year 2022, it had reduced to less than one percent. In the corresponding year, the Muslim population in India was 30 million and in 2022 it was 211.16 million. If India is anti-Islamic, would the Muslim population had increased manifold since 1947? The figures speak for themselves.
Mohd Asri and ilks like him should be able to identify who oppressed the Muslims most – not the Indians: your guess is good as mine.
Mohd Asri has not touched the brutal incident of 22nd April, 2025 when twenty-six innocent tourists were murdered in a very gruesome manner at Pahalgam, Kashmir. India, in retaliation, had targeted terrorists hiding safely in Pakistan. The world has seen it, but Mohd Asri has not or refused to see. It is baffling that Putrajaya is silent on this. It should make its stand clearly.
This short explanation is actually a scratch on the surface just to show that their mere allegations would not suffice to attract a serious consideration. Dr Mohd Asri seeks to support for his illfound, misinformed narratives which are full of fabrications, thus a brief explanation would be in order and that is precisely been done here.
