Containment

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Assalamualaikum wbt.

1. I remember watching a film about zombie. It's an old film I guess.

2. In one of the scenes, the hero (in the film) successfully contacted the army (military unit) of the nation about his whereabouts  (so that he could be saved) when he barely escaped from the huge group of zombies i.e the many innocent public who had turned into zombie due to zombie bites.

3. The hero was instructed by the chief army to immediately move to a known location.

4. However, it was not really an escape. The army was planning for a 'containment'; and the hero knew it (the conspiracy), hence directed himself to another location.

5. What does it mean? Why was the hero going somewhere else? It means, the hero will be a bait (umpan, in Malay language) so that the zombies will 'smell' the movement of him (the hero) and follow him to one place (the instructed location).

6. Why is the army doing that? It is to 'contain' the spread of the zombies. If it's difficult for you to imagine, let me help illustrate to you.

7. If you have pieces of biscuits scattered at many places, it's difficult to clean them.

8. So, what you do is you contain them in a container. Meaning, you put all the bits and pieces into a place, collect them in a tupperware or something. That way, you can easily throw the whole biscuit pieces into thrash bin, all at one time.

9. The same way, the zombies were scattered, and the military found it difficult to get rid of them.

10. So, the hero was used to be an attention-puller for the zombies to group at one place. And guess what was the plan?

11. Yes. A nuclear torpedo would be launched. The zombies will be eliminated at one shot, but at the expense of killing the hero. So was the hero killed? Well, you know, how often in a film will we find a hero not surviving?

12. I do not plan to talk about the film (I do not even remember what film is that haha) but the word (and concept) of 'containment' is to be highlighted here.

13. The real subject of discussion is about Pluralism.

14. To the first-timer, let me roughly describe to you what Pluralism means.

15. Well, the word 'plural' (as opposed to 'singular') means many. And Pluralism, in the context of religion, refers to the fact that many religions (and quite automatically all religions) hold the truth of this world and this life.

16. The transcendent unity of religions is one of the branches of this problematic ideology, but let me not focus on that phrase jargon, that would most probably scare many of us off.

17. Now, firstly, I just want to make it clear that Islam is against Pluralism.

18. We never accept that all religions are true. 

19. However, very importantly, we never deny two things. First, we don't deny that there are some similarities (mostly at superficial level) between Islam and other religions.

20. Secondly, we do not deny that there are good elements and teachings in the preaching of other religions, such as about promoting to do good to others.

21. Next, language wise, Islam does acknowledge plurality. So, what's the difference between Pluralism and plurality?

22. If today you may disagree with me on the definition given to each term (which are not the fruit of my thought but quoted from people like Prof Tariq Ramadhan, if I am not wrong), then let's just focus on the concept I am about to explain.

23. Plurality refers to the existence of many religions or even races. Roughly in Malaysia, it may aptly refer to the phrase masyarakat majmuk.

24. So, Islam accepts this. Islam has no problem with living harmoniously and peacefully with people of other religions, in a plural community; an abode of plurality.

25. But this tolerance and beauty of Islam is not compromised with the claim that all religions are the same i.e all religions are true i.e Religious Pluralism.

24. Now, let me make a point here. Great Muslim scholar such as Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi was never in favor of Pluralism, as some of us may tend to claim or falsely believe.

25. His works (primarily many of his great poems) were irresponsibly translated and misquoted to prove the truth of Pluralism, and we do not accept this. It is not true and Maulana Rumi did not accept Pluralism. In short, we reject Pluralism, but not Maulana Rumi, may Allah has Mercy upon him.

26. Right. Pluralism, before I end, is like a disguise of a new religion, and its proponents (ones that promote this idea) will never agree to that statement of mine.

27. In my humble opinion, the understanding that Pluralism is promoting unity and tolerance when it says that all religions are the same (and therefore carry the same truth) is quite problematic; not at all a correct description of what it is.

28. The way I see it, Pluralism actually is suggesting (in its theory and practice), that all religions are wrong, but giving up all religions, and cling to Pluralism, is the way to truth.

29. Because it does not make any sense to say that God is One (in Islam) and God is three (Trinity in Christianity) and God is so many (Hinduism) and this different number of God is the truth about God?

30. What I meant is that, Islam in its most basic and fundamental level, is already totally not in line with any other major religions as believed and practiced by their followers in this world.

31. So what is my point now?

32. Containment.

33. I believe, Pluralism as an ideology is seemed to be trying to corrode the values and virtues (hence correct knowledge) in religion like Islam so that people compromise the fundamentals of religion and give them up, for the sake of looking for similarities such as superficial thing like doing good to others.

34. After grouping all these religions as one (in the realm of Pluralism), perhaps next level is to propose that because we can never agree on the differences of number of God (because different religions propose different number), might as well we agree that there is no God after all.

35. Problem solved.

36. No god means no need to fight on the concept of God, who is God etc. etc. because there is no god in the first place.

37. I don't know if my (most probably) theory above will be regarded as far-fetched, absurd, or even imaginative, but that's the way I see it.

38. Islam, at all levels, is never shaken from its fundamentals and truth. Quran for instance, has no equal rivals since it was revealed.

39. The attempt to group Islam as the same like other religions, is an attempt to contain religions in one same category, and eventually? Kaboom! 

40. All religions are absurd (because they are man-made or corrupted by men).

41. Hence, the logic is simple. Islam is also a religion. Because all religions are absurd, hence Islam is also absurd. Conclusion? We reject all religions (and any belief in God). Welcome to the godless world baby!

May Allah preserve the deen of Islam in this world, and in our hearts. Allahu ta'ala aklam. Wassalamualaikum wbt.

P/S: We are hunters. The hunted is the night. The weapon is prayer. The bullet is the waking up. Let's chase the Laylatul Qadr insya Allah! =D