KUALA LUMPUR: Islamists in Malaysia must be able to provide solutions to problems that concern the running of the country’s economy and people’s welfare, rather than focusing on moral issues, says PAS Research Centre executive director Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.

Islamists, or those who want to see Islam applied in all spheres of life, must have answers to problems of economic inequality, mismanagement of national finances, and must resolve corruption and leakages, he said.

They also must be willing to participate in a contest for ideas and solutions, instead of claiming to represent God or the religion, Dzulkefly said.

“They must be willing to advocate all their principles and programmes in political contestation whether at the end of the day they would be accepted or rejected,” he told a roundtable discussion on “Democrat Islamists” organised by the Global Movement of Moderates (GMM) and the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).

“The challenge of Islamists is to present their political messaging in a manner that can convince and persuade the Muslim and non-Muslim constituencies,” he said.

To do so, Dzulkefly said Islamists should be more engaging, less judgemental, allow for differences of opinion, and be able to manage dissent.

It was not so much a question of whether democracy and Islam were compatible as this issue had already been settled, he said. Rather, Islamists have to engage “as critical political players in nation-rebuilding and human civilisation”.

It is by being part of such discussions with others of different views and religions that “makes us democratic”, he said.

“Islamists must learn to present Islamic principles on issue of governance and present it in a democratic, persuasive manner.”

It would also be good for religious bodies like the fatwa council to adopt a similar approach, so that all details of an issue could be studied before any decree is issued.

“This approach is a democratic process in arriving at a sound judgement for fatwa. Fatwa needs to undergo this kind of process especially in today’s society that cannot simply accept orders,” Dzulkefly said.

GMM chief executive officer Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said the objective of the roundtable discussion was to analyse Islamic political discourse and to study the contribution of democrat Islamists as a way to promote moderation and to fight extremism.

“There is a need for the Muslim world to embrace politics and governance that really represent Islam,” Saifuddin said.

The discussion is also a preparation for an international conference to be held in the first quarter of next year.

Representative from IIUM’s Strata Research and Department of Fiqh, Dr Maszlee Malik, said discussions like these were important as the world grappled with religious extremism.

“Islamic democracy is one of the remedies to the current situation, and democrat Islamists believe there is still room for change within the framework of democracy. They strongly believe the Quran’s democratic system is compatible with Islamic values provided they are given a fair playing field.

“This session is trying to give the opportunity for democrat Islamists to present their case, share their vision, and to furnish the world with the hope to reduce the phenomena of extremism,” Maszlee said. — The Malaysian Insider

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on November 14, 2014.