Malaysia And The Club Of Doom
Encyclopedia
Malaysia and the Club of Doom (The Collapse of The Islamic Countries) is a book published in 2006 by Syed Akbar Ali who argues that countries with a Muslim
majority population have collapsed economically, politically and socially.
of the political and social climate in Islamic countries are causing democracy and freedom to be threatened by religious irrationalism. He attempts to show how the curtailing of democracy
and freedom of speech
have caused those countries to collapse. He further draws a distinction between Islam and its current practises, and offers his perspective that current practises of Muslims are not in vein with the true meaning of Islam
with that being the underlying cause for the collapse of those countries.
The book takes pains to stress that many practises that define Islam on the world stage like stringent laws, cruel punishments and irrational beliefs cannot be found in the Quran. Syed Akbar Ali then proceeds to show that many of these extra Quranic beliefs and practises which have brought about the downfall of the Muslims are actually taken from the Bible
.
In the Malaysian context, his book also exposes a masquerade whereby certain 'Islamic' laws pertaining to divorce are actually a reworded version of English Law taken from the Marriage and Divorce Act - a left over of British colonialism. The book also dismisses 'Islamic banking
' as 'Arabic banking' i.e. conventional banking with Arabic prefixes attached for camouflage.
, especially among its Muslim intellectuals. A graduate of an American university and having developed a career in banking Syed was also an often controversial newspaper columnist - pushing the envelope on free and unfettered discussion on religious and political issues in Malaysia.
His debut book 'To Digress A Little' published in July 2005 stirred much discussion in Malaysia for its frank and honest appraisal of Malaysia's affirmative action
policies which have now outlived their usefulness.
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
majority population have collapsed economically, politically and socially.
Theses
With a particular focus on Malaysia, the thesis of the book is that growing IslamisationIslamization
Islamization or Islamification has been used to describe the process of a society's conversion to the religion of Islam...
of the political and social climate in Islamic countries are causing democracy and freedom to be threatened by religious irrationalism. He attempts to show how the curtailing of democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
and freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
have caused those countries to collapse. He further draws a distinction between Islam and its current practises, and offers his perspective that current practises of Muslims are not in vein with the true meaning of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
with that being the underlying cause for the collapse of those countries.
The book takes pains to stress that many practises that define Islam on the world stage like stringent laws, cruel punishments and irrational beliefs cannot be found in the Quran. Syed Akbar Ali then proceeds to show that many of these extra Quranic beliefs and practises which have brought about the downfall of the Muslims are actually taken from the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
.
In the Malaysian context, his book also exposes a masquerade whereby certain 'Islamic' laws pertaining to divorce are actually a reworded version of English Law taken from the Marriage and Divorce Act - a left over of British colonialism. The book also dismisses 'Islamic banking
Islamic banking
Islamic banking is banking or banking activity that is consistent with the principles of Islamic law and its practical application through the development of Islamic economics. Sharia prohibits the fixed or floating payment or acceptance of specific interest or fees for loans of money...
' as 'Arabic banking' i.e. conventional banking with Arabic prefixes attached for camouflage.
Author
Syed Akbar Ali 49 years old is a name that is well known among the Malaysian intelligentsiaIntelligentsia
The intelligentsia is a social class of people engaged in complex, mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of culture, encompassing intellectuals and social groups close to them...
, especially among its Muslim intellectuals. A graduate of an American university and having developed a career in banking Syed was also an often controversial newspaper columnist - pushing the envelope on free and unfettered discussion on religious and political issues in Malaysia.
His debut book 'To Digress A Little' published in July 2005 stirred much discussion in Malaysia for its frank and honest appraisal of Malaysia's affirmative action
Affirmative action
Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...
policies which have now outlived their usefulness.