OPEN LETTER

In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful

May Peace and Blessings be upon the Prophet Muhammad and his kin



“ … [M]ake peace between them justly, and act equitably. Lo! Allah loveth the equitable. / The believers are naught else than brothers. Therefore make peace between your brethren and observe your duty to Allah that perhaps ye may obtain mercy.” (The Holy Qur’an, Al-Hujurat, 49:9-10)



OPEN LETTER CONCERNING DATUK SERI DR. ANWAR IBRAHIM



Al-Salaamu ‘Alaikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu,


We, the undersigned, believe the honorable brother Datuk Seri Dr. Anwar Ibrahim to be of the highest ethical and moral integrity, a devout Muslim and a devoted father and husband. He is universally recognized as an advocate for justice and fairness, and he has a long history of promoting Islam and championing Islamic ethical and charitable causes.


We are deeply concerned about the physical safety and freedom of our respected brother Datuk Seri Dr. Anwar Ibrahim. We are troubled by the unsubstantiated and clearly scurrilous claims made against him and his character. Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:


“O ye who believe! Shun much suspicion; for lo! some suspicion is a crime. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Ye abhor that (so abhor the other)! And keep your duty (to Allah). Lo! Allah is Relenting, Merciful.” (The Holy Qur’an, Al-Hujurat, 49:12)


Our beloved Malaysia is today one of the leading countries of the Muslim Ummah. It is an example of a successful modern Islamic country, and in many ways a model and example for other Muslim countries. This has been due to the Grace of Allah and then largely to the historical and invaluable efforts and contributions made by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammed and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi (among others). Every Muslim who knows anything about Malaysia is proud and appreciative of these efforts. Equally, every Muslim who knows Malaysian politics is appreciative of the formidable political courage in leadership exhibited by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammed during his time as Prime Minister of Malaysia and of the example of personal piety and forbearance that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi has given the Ummah today.


Indeed, perhaps precisely because of Malaysia’s prominence within the Ummah and the world, we would like to point out that the global Muslim community is paying close attention to the way our respected and honorable brother Dr. Anwar Ibrahim is treated. We have no wish to interfere in the internal politics of Malaysia, or in civil and criminal accusations within the country, which we reiterate are ultimately the business only of the Malaysian state and people. However, the spectacle, ten years ago, of our respected brother Datuk Seri Dr. Anwar Ibrahim sitting patiently in court after having been personally and illegally beaten up by then Police Chief of Malaysia is still fresh within our minds as a travesty of justice and impartiality under the law in a leading Muslim country. We are all still ashamed of that image, which will ever be indelibly engraved in our memories. So we remind our bothers in Malaysia that our beloved Prophet Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said that justice is the very goal of government in Islam. And Allah Himself says in the Holy Qur’an:


“Say: My Lord enjoineth justice …” (Al-A’raf, 7:29)


Thus we feel that we have a right — and indeed, an obligation under Islam — to strongly urge the Malaysian authorities to facilitate a swift, transparent and just resolution to this issue and resolutely ensure the safety, freedom and physical well-being of our honorable and respected brother Anwar Ibrahim. Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:


“The Truth is from thy Lord (O Muhammad), so be not thou of those who waver.” (Al-Baqarah, 2:147)


Moreover, given the political implications of the timing of this latest incident; given the political undertones of the previous incidents of similar accusations made in 1998 — which led to the wrongful incarceration of Dr. Anwar Ibrahim for six years, and that have since been publicly refuted in the highest Malaysian court of law — and given the proven questionable nature of the authorities involved in the investigation, we feel morally obliged to also state our deep concern about the prospects of true justice for Anwar Ibrahim in the current authorities in the police and prosecution departments (whose leadership was personally involved in Dr. Anwar Ibrahim’s previous unjust accusations) without deliberate, careful, impartial and independent political oversight. Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:


“Lo! Allah enjoineth justice and kindness, and giving to kinsfolk, and forbiddeth lewdness and abomination and wickedness. He exhorteth you in order that ye may take heed.” (Al-Nahl, 16:90)


Finally, we are morally obliged as Muslims to also point out that our religion and our beloved Prophet Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) regard false accusations in these matters to be of extremely grave consequence. In fact, under Islamic Law, accusations of this magnitude that are not substantiated by four eye-witnesses of impeccable character (such as did not occur neither with these accusations nor with the previous ones) incur severe legal punishment only for the accusers themselves. Perhaps what is most insidious and disturbing, however, is the likely malevolent and slanderous intent behind these attacks on the moral character of our brother Dr. Anwar Ibrahim. Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:


“When ye welcomed it with your tongues, and uttered with your mouths that whereof ye had no knowledge, ye counted it a trifle. In the sight of Allah it is very great. / Wherefor, when ye heard it, said ye not: It is not for us to speak of this. Glory be to Thee (O Allah)! This is awful calumny. / Allah admonisheth you that ye repeat not the like thereof ever, if ye are (in truth) believers.” (The Holy Qur’an, Surat Al-Nur, 24:15-17)


However, we have complete trust in Allah and so remain hopeful that the highest political authorities in Malaysia will, in sha Allah, secure an honest and just outcome to this deeply troubling situation. Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:


“Let there arise from you a band of people who invite to goodness, and enjoin right conduct and forbid wrong. Such are they who are successful.” (Aal-‘Imran, 3:104)


Wal-Salaamu ‘Alaikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu.


Click here to endorse the open letter

Signed by (in Alphabetical Order of First Names):



Dr. Abubaker Al-Shingieti

President, American Muslims for Constructive Engagement (AMCE)

Prof. Dr. Akbar Ahmed

Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University, Washington DC; Former Pakistani High Commissioner to the UK

Shaykh Al-Habib Ali Zain Al-Abidin Al-Jifri

Founder and Director, Taba Institute, United Arab Emirates

Mr. M. Ali Lakhani

Founder and Editor of Sacred Web: A Journal of Tradition and Modernity, Canada

Dr. Anas Al-Shaikh-Ali

Chair, Association of Muslim Social Scientists UK

Academic Advisor, International Institute of Islamic Thought, London

Ms. Amina Rasul

Lead Convenor, Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy, Mandaluyong City, Philippines

Prof. Dr. Aref Ali Nayed

Muslim Scholar, Libya; Senior Advisor, Cambridge Interfaith Program, Faculty of Divinity, Cambridge University; Former Professor, Institute for Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Asst. Prof. Dr. Caner Dagli

College of the Holy Cross, Worcester MA, USA

H.E. Shaykh Prof. Dr. Mustafa Cerić

Grand Mufti and Head of Ulema of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Prof. Dr. Din Syamsuddin

President, Central Board of Muhammadiyah, Indonesia

Mr. Eboo Patel

Founder and Executive Director, Interfaith Youth Core, USA

Ms. Farah El-Sharif

President, Muslim Students Association, Georgetown University, USA

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Hanafi Scholar; Instructor, The Razi Institute, Canada

Dr. Faroque Khan

Chairman, Islamic Center of Long Island, NY, USA

Prof. Dr. H.R.H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal

Chairman of the Board of the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, Jordan

Shaykh Salih bin Sultan Ghalib Al-Quaiti

Hadramaut, Yemen

Mr. Hasan (Charles) Le Gai Eaton

Writer on Islam, UK

Dr. Ibrahim Kalin

Director, SETA Foundation, Ankara, Turkey; Asst. Prof. Georgetown University, USA

Prof. Dr. Ingrid Mattson

President, The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)

Dr. Jamal Barzinji

Vice-President, International Institute of Islamic Thought, USA

Dr. Jonathan Brown

Assistant Professor, University of Washington, USA

Dr. Marve Kavakci

George Washington University

Dr. Mohammad Fadel

Assistant Professor of Law, University of Toronto, Canada

Dr. Mohamed Bechari

President of the National Federation of Muslims of France (FNMF); Secretary-General of The Islamic European conference (EIC/CIE); Vice-President of the Foundation of Islamic Works of France (FOI); President-Rector de of the Avicenna Institute (IASH), France

Mohamed H. Marei

Founder and Director, Qasid Institute, Jordan

Hafiz Moez Masoud

Host of Al-Tariq Al-Sah television show, Cairo, Egypt

H.E. Amb. Dr. Murad Hofmann

Author and Muslim Intellectual, Germany

Mr. Musa Saket

Chairman of the Board, Al-Salam Audio Media (Hayat Fm), Jordan

Prof. Dr. Mustapha Cherif

Muslims Intellectual; Former Minister of Higher Education and Former Ambassador, Algeria

Prof. Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqui

Islamic Scholar and Theologian; Chairman of the Fiqh Council of North America, USA

Dr. Nabil El-Sharif

Editor- in-Chief, Al-Dustour Daily Newspaper, Jordan

Mr. Nihad Awad

National Executive Director, Co-Founder

Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), USA

Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller

Author and Educator, Jordan

Dr. Seyyed Reza Shah-Kazemi

Author and Muslim Scholar, UK

H.E. Prof. Dr. Rusmir Mahmutcehajic

Professor, Sarajevo University; President of the International Forum Bosnia; Former Vice President of the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Prof. S. Abdallah Schleifer

Distinguished Professor, The American University of Cairo; Founder and former Director of the Adham Center for Journalism (AUC); former Washington DC bureau chief Al Arabiya News Channel

Dr. Sayyid Syeed

ISNA Secretary-General, USA

Dr. Sherman A. Jackson

Arthur H. Thurnau Professor of Near Eastern Studies, University of Michigan; Co-Founder The American Learning Institute for Muslims, USA

Mr. Sohail Nakhooda

Editor-in-Chief, Islamica Magazine

Prof. Dr. Sulayman S. Nyang

Howard University, USA

Dr. Tawfik Awji

Beirut Islamic University, Lebanon

Dr. Yusuf Islam

Composer and Philanthropist, Islamia Schools Trust, London, UK

Dr. Yousuf Zia Kavakci

Director Islamic Association of Northern Texas and Member Fiqh Council of North America.

July 2008 CE; Rajab 1429