Muslims : In the beginning was the duty of peace
International Herald Tribune
January 28, 2003
Mahathir bin Mohamad  

There has never been a time when Muslims were so looked down upon and so oppressed as they are today. We all know that the Prophet brought only one Islam. But today there are many Islamic religions.

There are the Sunnis and the Shiites, divided into numerous groups by the different imams and orders. Some of these interpretations and teachings are so different that their followers actually accuse each other of not being Muslims. Indeed, they regard many who profess to be Muslims as infidels.

Because of the thousands of different interpretations of Islam and the very many different sects and adherents, each claiming to be the true followers of the religion, Muslims are thoroughly confused.

Disunited, fighting each other for power, lacking in essential knowledge and skills, misapplying their God-given wealth, Muslims have reached the lowest point in their development. They are unwilling to see the reality of the situation or admit that they have deviated from the teachings of Islam.

Frustrated and angry, some Muslims have resorted to terrorism. Many believe that they have been successful in this.

But what have the Muslims really gained by these acts of terror? All that has happened is that the enemies of Islam have found justification for putting more pressure on Muslims, for attacking and killing them, and for treating them and their religion with contempt.

Muslims fight and die not to achieve any real objective, such as freeing themselves from oppression. They fight and die to retaliate, take revenge and vent their anger. Muslims appear not to plan or strategize. Even their terror attacks seem to be random, isolated and uncoordinated.

The Muslims have clearly lost their way. There is a saying in Malay that when you lose your way, you must return to the beginning and start again.

The most fundamental teaching of Islam is peace. We greet each other with the wish for peace. Is it just an empty greeting?

The Koran states that all Muslims are brothers. Apart from Islam advocating peace, surely brothers must not fight each other. Being of the same family, brothers should love each other and be united.

That is the basic teaching of Islam. There can be no dispute about this injunction, no difference in the interpretation of this teaching.

If we want peace, then shouldn't we strive for peace, at least among ourselves as Muslims first, and then with people of other faiths?

The writer is prime minister of Malaysia. This comment has been adapted from an address on Jan. 22 at Al Azhar University in Cairo.

[Not to be reproduced without the permission of the author.]

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