Nationalism to Islamism- the mind’s opium.

This statement may be shocking. Generally speaking, people are indifferent when leaders speak of Islamic this and that. They have formed their own 'rational expectations'. They have already anticipated that they are just empty talks and therefore adjust their reception accordingly. This means they will say- ho hum, not again.

For example, when leaders speak about Islamic finance, does it solve financial woes? Does it help poor folks and struggling businesses get easy financing? More often it does not. But the person mooting the "Islamic' idea gets away winning brownie points.

So why do leaders have a penchant of adding affixes of Islamic to things? Because it lulls gullible Muslims and Malays into believing that just by adding this affix or prefix to the good or service we offer, we have a solution. Hence for example, to untangle the financial mess brought about by the subprime culture, we need to follow Islamic finance. In other words, it's the lack of Islam that is responsible for financial problems.

It's a raw deal for Islam these days. In Europe as pointed out by Farish Noor, everything bad there is attributable to Islamic influences. Anything associated with Islam now appears to be subjected to cultural cleansing. Hence people in Switzerland voted to ban the construction of minarets on mosques in order to stem the Islamization of that country.

On the other side, in Muslim countries, there is a tendency to use Islam or the lack thereof as an excuse to justify certain kind of thinking. The mess that's engulfing Dubai now is taking place; it is disingenuously suggested because Islamic financial practices are abandoned. The camel riding Arabs there have forsaken Islam and Islamic finance – that's why they are going bankrupt. So, if only these moneylenders businesses adopted Islamic ways, maybe Dubai won't buckle under. If only people have more 'faith'.

It's not a question of having less or more faith. This is truly a temporal issue here. It has nothing to do with lack of faith thereof which is responsible for the many ills that society faces. As we are most likely to discover, the ills encountered by society are man-made.

I just heard a newsreader on CNN alluding to the fact that maybe the whole thing now faced by Dubai now is attributable to certain Islamic financial practices such as banning the charging of interests and so forth. Perhaps this is part of the whole 'pathologisation' of anything Islam which is conveniently blamed for any economic deterioration.

We mustn't fall into this claptrap. There is no simple solution. If we are to learn anything at all from history, we have to stop reasons becoming excuses. The present day financial mess is not brought about by impersonal forces but by bad governance and management model. The current financial mess isn't brought about by the failures of market system, but by inept governments and sub-standard management.

We have to give reasons, not excuses for the slow march of Muslims along the road of progress. Hence, there are so many people saying that Malaysia and Malays are slower in the march to progress because they have abandoned Islam.

We have given an excuse, not a reason. At the same time, we have relegated Islam to an excuse. Even worse, we are always asked to look at the glorious past. We think, erroneously so, that we have offered analyses and explanations whereas in fact, we have only given retrospective rationalization. We have perfect hindsight. Its vision 2020 reversed and turned on its head.

Nowadays, anything with Islam in front or behind is a surer route to getting a captive mind. In Malaysia, there used to be 2 things that will galvanize Malays into almost a blind acceptance of things. Malay nationalism and Islam. The two never failed to commandeer Malay attention and obedience. The term Malay Nationalism as it is presently practiced is questionable. It is used as a subjugating tool to enslave the Malay mind by the elite players.

Hence the elite Malays featured glowingly in Malaysian Tattler for example, harbors no shame speaking about the unfortunate Malays while they engage in all sorts of decadence. They talk about concern for other Malays in order to perpetuate their own existence and interests. Malay nationalism or in its adulterated form- Malay affinity, is failing to stop our cynicism.

The 'players' know this. They are banking on another tool- that which is opium to the unquestioning mind. Let's talk about Islam. Not as a way of life or a mission statement. Just talk about the concept. It's a surer way to capture minds than debunked nationalism.

So recently when a deputy minister speaks about the promise of Islamic banking, the potential of the halal industry and the viability of the gold dinar, I remain unmoved. Because that clarion call is not preceded by a transformation in the thinking of Muslims. If you are obsessed more with caning the buttocks of people, murdering those with dissenting views, arresting muftis on the flimsy excuse of not having the license to do so, what good is there to talk about the promise of Islamic finance for instance? In the end, it remains what it's supposed to be- empty promises spoken by an equally flaccid mind.