Assalaamu’alaikum Warahmatullaahi Wabarakaatuh.
Praise to Allah
Bismillaahirrahmaanirrahiim. Alhamdulillaahi rabbal ‘alamin, wassalaa tu wassalaa mu ‘ala asyrafil anbiyaai wal mursalin. Wa’ala aalihi wasahbihi ajma’in.
Let us together invoke the highest of praises to Allah S.W.T., the cherisher and sustainer of the worlds, who has said in his noble book:
“There has come to you from Allah – light and perspicuous book.’ (Surah al Maidah 15).
Salutation to the members of the staff and guests
Members of the Majlis, Your Excellencies,
Representative of Professor Dr. Dato’ Ariffin Shuhaimi,
Deputy Rectors,
Members of the academic and administrative staff,
Invited guests,
Brothers and sisters in Islam.
On this 17th convocation ceremony I would like once again to welcome distinguished guests, parents and relatives, husbands and wives, of graduates, to this auspicious and memorable occasion.
All the parents, spouses and children of our graduates have a right to be proud as they have a share in the successes of our graduating students today, for without their support and sacrifices these successes would not be possible.
Congratulations to the graduates
With 2,273 more graduates, graduating this year, the number of IIUM graduates totalled 19,974, out of which 17,841 of them are Malaysians.
The good name of this university has been judged and will continue to be judged by the performance of all previous graduates, to be reinforced by all of you who are graduating this year.
This graduation is an occasion which closes a brief chapter of the life of our graduating students. It is a line of demarcation between one chapter of life with another chapter, which is said to be practical and more challenging.
With exposures that you have had in the university’s international environment, learning from guest professors and lecturers and working comfortably with students of different nationalities and culture; with your command of English, the language of the international community; your ability in Arabic, which is the language of Islam,; and your knowledge of Malay, which is the second most spoken language in the Muslim world, you need only hard work and perseverance to face the challenges of the future.
With hard work and perseverance these challenges will meet with abundant opportunities.
On behalf of the academic and administrative staff, and all those who work for the university, I congratulate all of you for your successful effort in your studies and make du’a to Allah S.W.T. That you will keep on being successful.
We trust you in your performance outside the campus and hope that you shall not fail us.
A word of caution
I have however a word of caution to all new graduates. While you are enthusiastic with your degrees in hand, do not be disheartened if, during this difficult period you do not easily get a job, or your employer is initially not impressed with your performance. Have faith and struggle on. Keep in touch with us even after you have graduated for we are ready to at least listen to the problems that you may face.
Facing the challenges of the future
You should remember that you are the first graduates in this new millennium.
It was in the previous millennium that we passed through the industrial revolution whereby letters which were previously delivered by horses were transported by trains, ships and aeroplanes.
We then passed through the electrical revolution when we had radios, televisions, wireless and telephones.
Now, in this new millennium, we are in a borderless world, with messages passing by e-mail at the speed of light.
The challenge of the new millennium is globalisation.
As students of this university you would have developed a certain degree of global mentality. With a global network of classmates, you need only innovation and creativity to weave a network of relationships with the alumni of the IIUM in facing the global challenges ahead.
Globalization and Islam
This is the mission of the international institute for Muslim unity.
Globalisation, however, is not new to Islam.
After the breakup of empires when nation states were formed, to be firmed up with the spirit of nationalism, in each and every state or nation, after the Second World War, Muslim leaders all over the world were hard-pressed with their effort at popularising the idea of the universality of Islam.
Non-Muslim Unity
Without being Muslims non-Muslim nations have united in preparation for global competition. All the current members of the European community are non-Muslim nations. Britain will certainly join the European community in the near future. The Germans and the French did not like one another, neither of them like the British, and vice-versa. But the continental western Europeans have shed their language and cultural differences, and even ignored the differences in their religious sects, and chose to forget the wars that they ever fought in history, in order to unite, in facing the challenges of globalisation.
Learning from history
Now that the non-Muslims are uniting, will they allow the Muslims to unite?
Events in world history have shown that Muslims and Muslim nations or governments find it very difficult to unite.
It was no less than Benjamin Disraeli, the Jewish Prime Minister of Britain who informed the British parliament that not for the Quran Islam and the Muslims would have been destroyed by them, for they had been successful in making Muslim leaders fight one another.
If history is our source of inspiration, then we should look at the two alternative schools of thought when summarizing major events of history.
The 1st school of thought is the accidental view of history when historical events are said to occur by accident and for no apparent reason. In such cases rulers are powerless to intervene.
The 2nd school of thought is the conspiratorial view of history when historical events occur by design for reasons which are not generally made known to the people.
The accidental views of history
Two prominent personalities support the accidental view of history, i.e.:
James Warburg, who wrote in his book, “The West in Crisis” that ‘history is written more by accident than design, often by the wholly irrational acts of madmen.’
President Jimmy Carter’s National Security Advisor Zbignew Brzezinski was of the same opinion when he said in 1981 that ‘history is much more the product of chaos than of conspiracy ……. ’.
The conspiratorial view of history
Against these views and in support of the conspiratorial view of history are the following statements:
Franklin D. Roosevelt, who saw many monumental events occur during his consecutive administrations said, ‘in politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, it was planned that way.’
Walter Rathenau, who controlled German General Electric in 1909 said, ‘three hundred men, all of whom know one another, direct the economic destiny of Europe and choose their successors from among themselves.’
Joseph Kennedy, the father of President John F. Kennedy said, ‘fifty men have run America and that’s a high figure.’
Jonathan Vankin, a journalist wrote,’ power is a fact of life in America, but most Americans are far removed from it. Secrecy is power’s chief tool. Government seems distant, yet somehow domineering. ……………. …. Conspiracy theories try to put the pieces back together.’
A conservative author, Gary Allen mused, ‘we believe that many of the major world events that are shaping destinies occur because somebody or some bodies have planned them that way. …
…. We are not really dealing with coincidence or stupidity, but with planning and brilliance.’
Academicians Thomas R. Dye and L. Harmon Zeigler, in their book ‘the irony of democracy ‘concluded, ‘elites, not masses, govern America. …… in an industrial, scientific, and nuclear age, life in a democracy, just as in a totalitarian society, is shaped by a handful of men. ………- political scientists and sociologists alike - agree that the key political, economic, and social decisions are made by tiny minorities.’
Therefore those who sincerely believe that conspiracies don’t exist only benefit those who may be conspiring.
Who conspire and for what benefits?
The question is who conspires and how do they conspire?
And who benefits and what do they benefit from these conspiracies?
It is of course difficult to know who conspires as the essence of any conspiracy is secrecy. Without secrecy there is no conspiracy.
If harmful events are planned – such as the plan to destroy the World Trade Center and the Pentagon - it follows that the people who were about to suffer through the scheduled event would act to prevent the event from occurring if they knew about it in advance.
The people – in this case the American people - will of course expect their government – the Army, the Navy, the Air-Force, the CIA, the FBI and their technologies - to protect them from harmful events.
But, why have the US government failed to protect the American properties and the American people?
Kenapakah kerajaan Amerika Sharikat gagal melindungi harta dan rakyat Amerika, saperti kerajaan Malaysia melindungi rakyatnya walau pun terpaksa menerima kritikan kerana mengguna kuasa I.S.A.
Dalam konteks inilah kita memerhatikan kenyataan-kenyataan dan ancaman-ancaman yang dibuat, melalui media massa, sekitar peristiwa serangan ke atas Pusat Dagangan Dunia di New York dan Pentagon di Washington D.C..
Selaku Presiden Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia, saya tidak harus dayus membisu kerana, sebarang ancaman ke atas umat Islam, yang tidak bersalah, adalah menjadi tanggung-jawab bersama.
Sebagai sabuah negara yang terkaya di dunia dengan angkatan tentera yang terkuat dan tercanggih dalam bidang teknoloji yang mampu menguasai angkasa lepas, serangan ke atas bangunan di dua tempat di Amerika Sharikat adalah satu penghinaan terbesar yang pernah dialami oleh negara itu.
Kenapakah Amerika Sharikat lalai dan apakah mereka tidak tahu terlebih dahulu mengenai rancangan serangan yang hendak dibuat. Apakah kurang canggih peralatan FBI dan CIA?
Jika kes ini dibandingkan dengan pengeboman ke atas Pearl Harbor bukankah pengeboman itu dibiarkan oleh President Roosevelt kerana beliau mahu mendapat sokongan rakyat Amerika untuk beliau turut membawa Amerika ke dalam kancah peperangan dunia kedua.
Kita bersimpati dengan yang mati di WTC atau Pusat Dagangan Dunia dan di Pentagon.
Kita juga dapat memahami rasa malu pihak Amerika Sharikat, sebagai sabuah negara, yang simbol kekuatan ekonominya – Pusat Dagangan Dunia - dan simbol kekuatan pertahanannya – the Pentagon - dapat dimusnahkan dan dirosakkan atas inisiatif beberapa orang individu sahaja, dengan menggunakan kapal-terbang buatan Amerika Syarikat sendiri.
Ini kisah tidak sampai 20 orang menyerang sabuah negara terkuat di dunia.
Kita juga dapat memahami bahawa apabila sasaorang atau satu-satu kumpulan, apalagi sabuah negara berasa malu ianya akan bersikap sombong dan bongkak untuk menutup malunya.
Tetapi kita tidak bolih menerima dakwaan bahawa serangan ke atas Amerika Syarikat diertikan sebagai ancaman ke atas seluruh dunia. Kita menolak tesis tidak lebih 20 individu boleh menyerang seluruh dunia.
Carilah di mana silapnya.
Tidak siumanlah kita jika kita tidak bersimpati dengan mereka dan keluarga mereka yang ditimpa kemalangan di dua tempat itu. Tetapi, lebih tidak siumanlah kita dan mereka jua jika tidak digabungkan simpati itu dengan simpati atas kematian jumlah umat Islam yang lebih besar di Palestine, di Afghanistan, di Bosnia, di Chechnya, di Indonesia, di Iraq dan Iran atau di mana jua ada pembunuhan di dunia ini.
Apakah lautan air mata yang mengalir dari ibu, bapa, isteri, suami dan anak berjuta umat Islam di dunia tidak berharga sama sekali?
Apabila umat Islam mati dibunuh dengan bom, roket dan senjata canggih ianya hanya dicatit sebagai tambahan perangkaan kapada jumlah yang sudah pun bertimbun sapergunungan.
Hanya disebut sambil lalu sebelum berita sukan dan olah-raga di kaca televisyen mereka.
Tetapi apabila sejumlah kecil dari mereka, jika dibandingkan dengan yang mereka kerjakan ke atas kita, menimpa bala, seluruh dunia diajak menangis dan meratap tanpa akhirnya.
Begitu hina kita.
Begitu berharga mereka.
Kita bersetuju jika Amerika merancang perang untuk menentang terrorism. Tetapi kita tidak setuju jika ‘terrorism’ yang dimaksudkan hanya dihadkan kapada yang terlibat dengan serangan di New York dan di Washington D.C. sahaja, sedangkan terrorism ke atas orang lain diabaikan. Kita juga perlu isytiharkan perang bukan sahaja ke atas terrorism New York dan Washington, tetapi juga semua individu terrorist, kumpulan terrorist dan negara terrorist.
We should declare war not only on individual terrorists but also to groups of terrorists and to state terrorism or nations which tolerate or facilitate the killing of its citizens by its authorities.
We agree that whoever is responsible for inflicting terror in New York and Washington should be punished; but we disagree with Ehud Barak of Israel and William Benette of the organisation called ‘Empower America’ that there was no necessity for investigation and that the United State of America should take action on Muslim nations whom they have listed.
Kita bersetuju dengan perisytiharan peperangan menentang terrorism, tetapi peperangan menentang terrorism tidak akan menghapuskan terrorism sebagaimana juga peperangan dunia pertama yang dikatakan sebagai ‘a war to end all wars’ atau ‘peperangan untuk menghapuskan semua peperangan ‘ telah menyebabkan berlakunya peperangan dunia kedua dan mungkin juga akan berlaku peperangan dunia ketiga dalam masa yang terdekat.
Presiden Amerika telah memberi kata-dua untuk kita dan negara-negara lain untuk memihak kapada Amerika Syarikat atau dianggap memihak kapada pihak terrorist.
Kata-dua ini-lah yang akan menyebabkan sukar menghapuskan terrorism.
Kita sebenarnya tidak perlu menyokong Amerika Sharikat tetapi kita perlu sama-sama mencari jalan untuk menentang terrorism.
Saya cadangkan supaya Malaysia mendirikan sabuah institut dengan nama ‘institute for the study of conspiracy and terrorism,’ iaitu ‘institut untuk mengkaji conspiracy dan terrorism.’
Hanya dengan terhapusnya kesengsaraan manusia terrorism dapat dihapuskan.
Only with the elimination of human sufferings can terrorism be curtailed or abolished.
It is also important to study the beneficiaries of the disaster which took place in New York and Washington.
Some people say that by Keynesian logic a nation needs big projects to revive its economy. The biggest project is of course war.
Just as the Japanese attack on pearl harbour was said to have been allowed, somebody, somewhere will certainly not tell if they have any knowledge of the terrorist attacks, before the happenings, if by those attacks they tend to benefit either economically or politically.
Now that the dirty word ‘crusade ‘has been used rhetorically by the American president, all Muslims of the world should take note of its implications.
Should this be a war against all Muslims and that the war against terrorism is merely an excuse to eliminate Islam, and possibly all religions, with a view to the establishment of a new world order, then all Muslims, and possibly people of all religions must be united against it. We must be free to practice our own religions peacefully.
Unity
Unity in a multi-racial and multi-religious nation such as Malaysia is a prerequisite for a great future of this country. It is a fact that in multi-racial and multi-religious Malaysia, the unity of the Muslims is a precondition. In a globalising world the nation’s unity becomes the basic infrastructure to deal with the challenges effectively. But unity is not something that grows automatically, or can be imported when needed. It is a crop of the conscience. Those who have the conscience are the ones who realize the meaning and value of unity.
And what is the basic attribute of a person of conscience?
A person of conscience is the one who returns good deeds with good deeds: (Surah Rahman 55 verse 60)
“is there any reward for good, other than good.”
If the nation has done good to you by sending you to schools, colleges and universities and provided you with opportunities to obtain higher education, the best way for you as a person of conscience is to return this favour by contributing to the unity of the nation and the Ummah.
Insya Allah, once we start moving towards unity, Allah will fulfil his promises of barakah and we will all succeed in this world and the hereafter.
Thank you. Assalaamu’alaikum warahmatullaahi wabarakaatuh.
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