Faithful Volition

“We were all standing so close to each other that no one could move. The plainclothes guards came into the room and broke all the light bulbs, and in the pitch dark started beating us, whoever they could.”

This is the narrative allegedly from one of the many prisoners from the Iranian’s election debacle.

Apparently, there have been many deaths; of bruised corpses being returned to families.

Allegations of bodies being released only on condition their deaths are certified as naturally caused.

Unlike Neda Agha-Soltan.

Western Anti Islam propaganda, perhaps?

Iran is after one of the few remaining Muslim majority countries who continue to snub its nose against the US and her Western allies.

That so, it is hard to identify any country as Islamic when you are confronted with such barbarity in acts.

Islam is just. It is about fairness, about tolerance.

Can any country in the world qualify?

Can we?

Here we have another call for a Fatwa: this time on the Internal Security Act.

I hate to ask, but, to what ends?

To justify its continued existence, its’ scrapping, its’ review?

The country has long adopted a secular constitutional system based on the English law for our legal system which includes the aforementioned ISA.

All the laws – with the exceptions of the Syariah laws - in the country are not enacted based on Fatwa.

Why do we need one for ISA?

So that Malaysian Muslims can rest easy if the law receives a positive response from the National Fatwa Council?

Fact remains that ISA is unjust and unfair.

It's existence justified on the basis of the majority’s interest against rabble rousers.

Nothing wrong with that.

There are, after all, enough in other preventive laws that restricts the movements of persons deemed either a nuisance or downright dangerous.

But there should be limits imposed that are fair to everyone.

Asking for Fatwa for everything would allow Muslims easy escape from using their volition and faith.

In Indonesia, there is a Fatwa that smoking in public (notice this peculiar proviso) is against Islamic teachings.

Islam is universal in application.

So why aren’t we - Indonesia’s closest Muslim majority neighbor - following this edict?

The truth is that we couldn’t care less of Fatwa unless it favors us.

A trillion Fatwa will not make a country Islamic if they are continually treated with disrespect.

So do we even need one on ISA?

What do we say to being incarcerated without trial for days and weeks?

Fair? Just?