Jed Yoong
INTERVIEW: Husam Musa, PAS vice-president
Posted in HOT, democracy, elections, fun, islam, pas, politics, religion by jedyoong on February 29th, 2008
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Husam (left) with Sheih of Kickdefella fame at a press conference in the PAS Media Centre in Kota Bahru on Tuesday. THANKS, Sheih! /JYPix
FULL TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW ON FEB 26, 2008 (TUES) AT THE PAS MEDIA CENTRE IN KOTA BAHRU WITH HUSAM MUSA, PAS VICE-PRESIDENT AND CALON FOR STATE SEAT, SALOR, KELANTAN.
NOTE: Husam (I keep calling him Musa cos keep thinking of IGP Musa Hassan) is quite sporting and funny. Not like some dead serious types in some dead serious parties. Or those overly emotional types in you-know-which party. Actually, in my humble opinion, the PAS fellas that I’ve met seem to be the most moderate and open-minded. Strange. I think it’s really largely a case of negative media stereotypes and not making the point to find out more about the reality. But then again, I still need to meet more people and see more of the REAL Malaysia. ;) Don’t take my word for it. Take a trip to Kota Bahru and see for yourself. :)
Jed Yoong: So do you think PAS has changed from when it started about 50 years ago when it broke away from UMNO — it was mainly a Malay nationalist party that used Islam as a differentiation?
Husam Musa: PAS is not using Islam. PAS is based on Islam. We are not using Islam. Inspired by Islam.
So, I think, not much change.
For instance, take for example, take the incident of 69. Other than Kelantan, there were riots and bloodshed and clashes, racial clashes. But in Kelantan, there was no incident. Not just by coincidence. But the Chief Minister at that time from PAS called all religious heads and instructed them to make sure they can safeguard all the people regardless of their race. So not a single bloodshed happened in Kelantan.
So it means that Kelantan and PAS propagated harmonious living between all races based on Islamic teaching. Because Islamic teaching, one, on religious freedom. Islam never forces other people to convert to Islam; there is no coercion in religion. For the people, Islamic rulers must take care of them. We have a multi-racial approach and give a fair and just treatment to all races. So this never change.
JY: So Islam the perjuangan (struggle) is the same. This time according to Ustaz Nasharudin (Mat Isa, PAS deputy president), it has been repackaged. But it’s still the same?
HM: Never change because that is, I think, subscribed by PAS activists from Islamic teaching a long time ago. The example that I quoted is one to prove that.
JY: So Datuk, under Islam, a lot of non-Muslims are concerned that Islamic law gives non-Muslims less rights. Is this true? Like when you go to court, you would need to have Muslim witnesses. Is this correct?
HM: It’s not correct. It’s not correct. It’s not correct at all. Injustice in whatever form is against Islam. Not just to human beings but you can’t be unjust towards animals, towards the plants, towards the stone. There is one saying of the Prophet. You cannot move the stone from the sacred place in Mecca, out for Mecca because of the right of the stone to remain in their sacred place. That is the most minimum example I can quote you to show you that injustice is prohibited by Islam by whatever form.
JY: There are also reports from Saudi Arabia and Iran about women who have been raped but they need Muslim witnesses. Is this true?
HM: OK, Islam and Islamic, Muslim community is different. That’s why Kelantan never based the model upon Iran, Saudi or Sudan. We base on Islam — Islamic teaching itself.
JY: Islamic teaching, but that’s very wide. What do you mean by Islamic teaching? Do you mean based on the Koran?
HM: You can read the Koran and you can correct us, if we are wrong.
JY: But Saudi Arabia and Iran are also based on the Koran.
HM: But we feel that they didn’t follow accordingly.
JY: They didn’t follow accordingly. What’s your stand on apostasy? What’s PAS’s stand on apostasy?
HM: Apostasy. I think the people can have a free reign to choose their religion.
JY: Even for Muslims?
HM: If non-Muslims convert to Islam in Sudan, they allow them to go back to their original religion.
JY: How about here in Malaysia?
HM: In Malaysia or in Kelantan?
JY: In Kelantan.
HM: In Kelantan, we don’t have a specific regulation on that.
JY: For apostasy.
HM: Yeah.
JY: No such cases yet? No one has left Islam in Kelantan officially?
HM: In Kelantan, we never notice.
JY: So would you allow it? What’s your stand? Dibenarkan atau (Allowed or)?
HM: I think this question if quoted by local media can be misinterpreted in several ways. So, I don’t want to drag our party into such delicate issues purposely. That one we can answer not during election. This is election time which is very sensitive and everything can go wrongly. We still have the time. PAS will be here and we will govern Kelantan again. I think, you can ask that question later.
JY: How about Terengganu? What do you think is going to happen in Terengganu? So far the feedback I got about Terengganu is not as positive as Kelantan.
HM: Not as positive as Kelantan.
JY: What do you think?
HM: Means in Kelantan, it’s so much more positive.
JY: Yes, Kelantan is much more positive.
HM: If Kelantan is so much more positive. Does that mean A+ or B+? What’s the mark? So if the mark (for Kelantan) is 70 and above, if Terengganu can achieve 60 per cent of the mark, I think they will pass the exam also.
JY: They will pass the exam. OK. So what do you think of development under BN for 50 years?
HM: BN is already hijacked by a few quarters.
JY: By who?
HM: By the most elitist in the ruling party, the ruling family. So from the struggle of people, (which is) power-sharing based, now becomes profit-sharing based.
JY: Just the last few questions. People always say PAS or rather Islam is not compatible with modern life. What’s your comment?
HM: I think we don’t need to comment on that. Because the question is absolutely irrelevant. It’s a irrelevant question. How can you say we are not compatible with modern life when we need to mix with modern life? We have a car, we use planes. If we have money we will use a jet but not as expensive as Pak Lah or as luxurious as that. We have internet, we are IT savvy. We transmit the interview live through streamyx. What do mean Islam is not compatible with modern life?
JY: Normally when we say development, BN would say, or rather the media would say,…
HM: There is development in Kota Bahru. We have a tower which we didn’t have before. We have five-star hotels, which don’t exist in Ipoh and Alor Setar or even in Kuala Terengganu.
JY: The civil rights, you know?
HM: Civil rights, I think here is better. Because non-Muslims can have their church, their temples, given the permit by the state government to construct the church and their temple.
JY: Entertainment? What’s your stand?
HM: Entertainment, you can sing if you want.
JY: Drinking?
HM: Yes, you can drink.
JY: For non-Muslims-lah?
HM: Yeah. Muslims, Muslims cannot drink. Not because of PAS. But because their religion prohibits them.
JY: Does PAS believe in moral policing?
HM: Moral policing, I think you can see in Kota Bahru, there is no moral policing here.
JY: I am not sure about Kota Bahru, I’ve been here for three days.
HM: You’ve got to stay here for another one year.
JY: OK, thank you, Datuk. All the best. Terima kasih (Thank you).
