Islamic nation not required for Muslims to practise their religion, says PSM chairman

KUALA LUMPUR: Muslims do not need an Islamic nation to practise their religion, says Parti Sosialis Malaysia's Dr Nasir Hashim.

He said this was because religious duties revolve around the concept of ad-Deen (the pious way of life), which includes "tawhid" (invocation of unity), prayer, fasting, donating to the poor and performing the "haj". 

"Islam emphasises values, ethics and morality more than any political doctrine," the PSM chairman said during the 6th International Socialism Conference here on Sunday.

Speaking during the same session, National University of Singapore associate professor Dr Syed Farid Al-Atas said that Muslim extremism can either be ideological or utopian.

He added that in the case of Malaysia, extremism to a large extent is ideological which functions to preserve the status quo.

Dr Syed Farid also spoke about extremist modernism in Islam.

He said that contrary to popular belief, Muslim fundamentalists are not trying to "go back to the stone age".

"They are actually more at home in the modern world than many of us are, who are not extremists or terrorists," said Dr Syed Farid, adding that this was because they seek to erase the intellectual and physical traditions in Islam.

Selayang MP William Leong said later that Muslim clerics should condemn the dictatorships and autocratic regimes that support terrorist groups such as the Islamic State and Boko Haram.