Secular Values for All

I am well aware that this writing will offend some people but I honestly do not care. People have rights, ideas don’t. It is precisely due to this reason that opposite opinions can collide, discussion can flourish and better conclusions can be made.

I have faith that liberal values will be more appreciated in our society. I have faith that each of us will come to view a society as individuals, not a group of people: individuals with different beliefs and values, but equal rights.

I want to call into attention the perception that is apparently adopted by a significant number of people in this country: that liberal values will ‘harm’ their religion and are offensive to their status as the foremost people in this country.

Let me deal with the first part of that sentence. Yes, I advocate secularism i.e. absence of one absolute moral directive to dictate the actions of a society. Contrary to popular belief, secularism is not hostile towards religion; in fact, in a truly secular society, religious perspectives should be allowed to be expressed in the public discourse. And, of course, anti-religious remarks and opinions as well. We can’t discriminate people but we can call an idea stupid, with reasonable justifications. Secularism welcomes everybody.

This is especially important since, by extension, we would also argue that there should be no ban on hijab or veil in Europe on the basis of self-expression, there should be no political or social discrimination on Muslim minorities in other countries, the construction of places of worship in America and of course, no ban on literature that seeks to present different views of a religion, no persecution of Christians and Shiites in Syria, Iraq and everywhere else. Secularism should protect the rights of individuals to practise what they think is right.

Now, on the second contention: why the rights of minorities should be sidelined to protect the sentiments of the majority? To me, this is a serious blow to fundamental individual rights. Like I’ve stated above, a society is comprised of individuals. Society is a concept. Individuals are people. The rights of the majority do not exceed the rights of the minority. No, we do not have to adhere to majority power. Our conscience dictates what should be done and should not be done. In a truly secular society, the right of minority groups to express their culture, beliefs and values will be ensured, and no member of society would be denied their voice.

This bumi (piece of land) we call our country does not belong to anybody. If you want to be pedantic, you can say that everyone of us is an immigrant. This earth has existed for over four billion years, humans have walked the earth since about 2.5 million years ago—branching out, migrating, disseminating and settling down. Claims of ownership are referential. We should not focus on whose land it is, but we should focus on living side by side as gracefully and respectfully as we can with each other.

Conventions should not trample our conscience. Changes are often hard but we need education first and foremost. And education can’t happen if we limit the subjects of our understanding to just one narrative. On the account of belief, what a person believes IS offensive to someone else who does not share their beliefs—all different opinions are offensive to each other. If we care about learning, we should encourage different opinions and collision of ideas, so that we can have better discussions and form better conclusions for ourselves. To echo Imam Syafi’, one of the great four imams in Islam, one should be hoping to be proven wrong in a debate, and expect the opponent being right. This sincerity reflects true desire for learning.

To be open when learning does not mean that we accept things blindly. It means that we are able to conceive the opposite idea and willing to be corrected. Learning is a permanent desire to be corrected—a state of conviction of being wrong, not of being right.

I think by this time, it is perhaps wise of me to deny any affiliation with Zionists and refute any claim to perpetuate Western agenda in our society. Truly, I have come to my conclusions by examining various sources of information and opinions and utilising my reason as per my right: by actually reading and not surrendering my conscience.

I am secure in my belief, and should you be in yours, you need not be afraid of opposite views.