NAJIB ASKS MUSLIMS TO SET THEIR HOUSE IN ORDER

PUTRAJAYA, June 10 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Najib Razak Friday called on
Muslims to set their house in order first before they can become the guiding
light for mankind like their forefathers.

He said Muslims must acknowledge the need for them to be introspective and
to take corrective action.

"Evidently, the problems faced by Muslims are within. They may seem
difficult to manage but the solutions can be found by reverting to the true
teachings of Islam," he said at the opening of the Wasatiyyah Convention at the
First Millennium of Islam in the Archipelago, here.

Also present were Higher Education Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin
and ministers in the Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Baharom and Dr Koh
Tsu Koon.

Najib asked why Muslims, as a people with dignity, should allow Islam to be
looked down upon because of their inability to manage their own problems.

"The question one must ask is why is it that a third party, usually not an
Islamic state, is entrusted to be the mediator of disputes.

"Why is it that corruption, maladministration, mismanagement and
inefficiency are often associated with the administration of an Islamic state
when we know that Islamic teachings as contained in the Quran and Sunnah of the
Prophet can serve as guidance?" he said.

The prime minister said that of late there had been some disruption in the
harmony among people of different faiths in Malaysia due to the attempts by some
quarters to politicise religion among Muslims or non-Muslims.

He said that in a multiracial country, religious polemics should be managed
with prudence and care because arguments over religion could fan the emotions of
everyone.

"Indeed, in a democratic country, every individual has the freedom to
express their opinions provided they do not contravene the laws. Expressing
views which one knows can incite people of other religions will invite
provocative reaction and is not a responsible action.

Therefore, all quarters should exercise caution and adopt a wise approach
for the sake of national stability. In fact, this is what every religion
preaches," he said.

Najib said that in this era, people of various races, religions and cultures
live and interact in a country and in the international community and, as such,
unity and tolerance were the primary factors which supported national
development and world peace.

He said unity and tolerance among the races and countries would facilitate
the implementation of the community development agenda for common benefit while
their absence would lead to chaos.

Najib said that in managing ethnic and religious relations in Malaysia, the
government had, since independence, opted to be guided by the philosophy of
integration rather than assimilation.

He also said that by adopting the "wasatiyyah" (moderation) approach over
decades, Malaysia had emerged as a democratic Islamic nation and a modern
industrialised country with a medium-high income.

Najib said Malaysia had also succeeded in disproving the stereotype
assumption that Islamic countries were usually undemocratic, autocratic, rich in
natural resources but poor in managing them well, and lacking in social justice.

Besides, he said, in the national and international arenas, Malaysia had
shown that the government did not resort to mere rhetoric but undertook
implementation in the right way.

Also, at the global level, Malaysia was friendly with all countries, both
Islamic and non-Islamic, but the government, as a matter of principle, did not
shy away from stating the truth by defending what was right and admonishing what
was wrong.

"As a result, we have shaped a competent and capable Islamic nation which
has sent peacekeepers under the United Nations (UN) and North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation (Nato) banners to protect Muslims in Bosnia Herzegovina and
maintain peace in Somalia.

"We have also stationed peacekeepers in southern Lebanon and sent women
doctors to Afghanistan," he said.