Only Islam Wins Our Vote

When I first came to New York a few years back, I witnessed the states of Washington, Maryland, and Rhode Island  legalizing same-sex marriage laws in those states. It was indeed a culture shock for someone from a Muslim country, but it was nothing one would not expect out of a liberal democratic society. Up to date, more than 16 states in the US have declared legalization of same-sex marriages. Later, Washington and Colorado became the first few states legalizing recreation use of Marijuana. In America, the law is becoming nothing but a reflection of the peoples' desires and wants. This is the so called liberal democracy that they fight for.

As the Pink Dot event in Penang was promoted through Facebook, I awaited for any actions from MPs or politicians. It was a daring move from SUARAM, Rainbow Connection, and Penang Freedom to Love to provoke the status quo with this event. Following the spread of the poster, I witnessed various expressions of disapproval from the Muslim community on Facebook. It was a clear cut issue from the perspective of the Muslim community. As the issue went viral, we started seeing statements from civil society organizations like ISMA, ABIM and PERKASA. I commend the response of DPPN Pulau Pinang and Dato Abdul Malik Abul Kassim on addressing this issue shortly afterwards. 

As if that event was not enough of an eye opener, the cancellation of the Future Music Festival Asia (FMFA) 2014 took the social media by storm days later. It took the lives of six Malaysians to finally be cancelled. This tragedy showed us some of the many consequences of hedonism. If left unchecked, it would bring to many more negative impacts to our society. What is sad for me is that not only did six people die as a result, but many teens expressed discontent with the cancellation of the event. Have they not learn a lesson?

As NGOs played an important part towards legalizing same-sex marriages as well recreation use of Marijuana in the US, the Pink Dot issue is a great reflection of how Muslim NGOs, politicians and the general public play very crucial roles in determining the direction of Malaysia. It is a pristine example that when it pertains to critical issues that are against the fundamentals of Islam, swift action needs to be taken. Unlike America, Islam puts the law as a means of maintaining order. Muslims have to be more proactive in addressing concerns that revolve around Islam. We need to tell politicians, that we want Islam and we reject anything that is against its principles and values. We need to tell current and future MPs, that our vote is a vote for our future; give us Islam, and we'll give you our vote. That is the essence of ISMA's "Undilah Calon Muslim Berwibawa" slogan in the 2013 elections.

Yusri Jamaluddin
ISMA Activist.
MSc Business Analytics,
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York.