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Liberalism, Extremism and Media in the Era of Convergence

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Liberalism, Extremism and Media in the Era of Convergence International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET) Volume 9, Issue 10, October 2018, pp. 831–840, Article ID: IJCIET_09_10_085 Available online at http://iaeme.com/Home/issue/IJCIET?Volume=9&Issue=10 ISSN Print: 0976-6308 and ISSN Online: 0976-6316 © IAEME Publication Scopus Indexed LIBERALISM, EXTREMISM AND MEDIA IN THE ERA OF CONVERGENCE Ahmad Munawar Ismail Corresponding Author Centre for Aqidah and Global Peace, Faculty of Islamic Studies Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor Wan Kamal Mujani Centre for The Middle East and Nusantara, Faculty of Islamic Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Zaizul Ab Rahman & Nur Fida’iy Salahuddin Centre for Aqidah and Global Peace, Faculty of Islamic Studies Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 Bangi, Selangor ABSTRACT Liberalism and extremism are two ideologies that have become popularly debated topics in Malaysia. This paper discusses these two ideologies based on the observation of result analysis from several conducted research. In addition to that, the discussion in this paper will also examine where the ideologies are placed in the media in today’s era of convergence. This article is written based on the research that was conducted qualitatively which involved historical and content analyses. The findings show that the liberal ideology moves concurrently with the dissemination of the secularism ideology. Its widespread growth is in line with the rapid development of communications media in the era of convergence. If this is not contained in its early stages, it can be one of the factors that contribute to the rise of extremist-minded society. The implication is that the religious harmony in this country will be affected as well as the level of unity between different races and ethnicities. It is therefore the responsibility of all parties, whether individuals, societies or government agencies in various ministries to figure out the best solution to curb the spread of these two ideologies. Keywords: Ideology; Liberalism; Extremism; Media; Convergence. Cite this Article: Ahmad Munawar Ismail, Wan Kamal Mujani, Zaizul Ab Rahman and Nur Fida’iy Salahuddin, Liberalism, Extremism and Media in the Era of Convergence, International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, 9(10), 2018, pp. 831–840. http://iaeme.com/Home/issue/IJCIET?Volume=9&Issue=10 http://iaeme.com/Home/journal/IJCIET 831 [email protected] Ahmad Munawar Ismail, Wan Kamal Mujani, Zaizul Ab Rahman and Nur Fida’iy Salahuddin 1. INTRODUCTION Liberal is a brain activity, a human’s activeness of intellect and reflection of an event using the brain and the mind. This reflection is called ‘think’. In Malay, ‘think’ means the ability to consider based on one’s knowledge, memory and experience when making a decision. It has existed not only since the days of Muktazilah, or in the age of Western enlightenment or during the reign of Bung Soekarno or in the era of the Pakatan Harapan administration but it exists naturally and is primitive since the prehistoric times. Humans begin to have instincts and the sense of thinking when they are naturally in need of strength to continue their survival, politics or socializing. However, they recognize they are weak and at any time can be debilitated by another extraordinary "force" that they themselves cannot determine what it is and where the "force" is. Thus they think liberally in tracking it. The lack of resources limits the humans’ ability to think about it, causing humans at that time to err in interpreting the "force" which then led them to place the "force" on objects that they imagined freely and liberally. The imagination of the "force" was then named as God. God is symbolized by something great and tremendous. It usually begins through the observation of the human groups on the quality and the greatness of a human being or a particular object which then produces feelings of extreme admiration. This attitude is then followed by the act of worship and eventually leads to them turning what they admire and worship into God. This article is about liberalism, extremism and media in the era of convergence. This discussion is a result of research on this issue within the context of Malaysia. The discussion is divided into three sections, which are liberalism, extremism and media in the era of convergence. This paper is a result of the personal examination of the author through numerous research on related issues. 2. ISLAM AND HUMAN NATURE (FITRAH) The existence of human nature (fitrah) and the development of human civilization alter the attitude, values and beliefs of man to God (Rafiza et al 2018; Siti Nur Najiah et al 2018). The factor of intermixing culture and customs between groups of people results in the increased imaginations of God and puts them at a level that is better than in prehistoric times. However, there is still a void in human nature because it is observed that the imaginings of "God" change according to culture and race. Islam arrives to correct the way people think. Islam fulfills human nature with cogent facts that convincingly speak to their natural human instinct. Islam brings the real meaning of God. Thoughts about God come with its own set of discipline. It cannot be liberalized recklessly. God in Islam is the essence (dzat) that is Most High. He is the Creator that is Most Knowledgeable. God is conceptualized as the One and the Almighty. The discourse about God, the attributes of God and all that pertains to the divinity of God is called Aqeedah (matters of faith). Thus, explicit and implicit liberalism existed before the arrival of Islam and after its advent until day. It is instinctual, a naturally- driven impulse and thought activity that is based on knowledge, memory or human experience that does not try to acknowledge and respect God properly and fully appreciate the things pertaining to the divination of God ( Hoesni et al 2012; Mutsalim et al 2016; Zaizul et al 2018). It is rational in nature, its truth is relative and its framework is determined by the culture, needs and interests of either an individual or group of people. It exists in all human thought whether consciously or subconsciously. Liberal-minded people are of no difference with the primitives, if they do not make Islam as their guidance. They can communicate with people, socialize, be involved with politics, produce literary work or anything else that may prolong their survival but they will never be able to connect with God because they fail to http://iaeme.com/Home/journal/IJCIET 832 [email protected] Liberalism, Extremism and Media in the Era of Convergence seek and connect the nature of humanity within themselves with the Creator of the human nature (Norasibah et al 2018) . May Allah forgive us and give guidance (hidayah) to all of us. 3. LIBERAL AND LIBERALISM Liberal is derived from the Latin word liber, liberalis or liberal which means freedom, unrestricted, progressive, reformist or radical (Oxford Dictionaries 2018). Thinking liberally means thinking freely and openly, thinking with tolerance, open-mindedness and not out-of- date (not confined to one specific school of thought). It is also referred to as a structure of thought that encompasses almost all aspects of human life including social, cultural, political, educational, economic and religious (Andian Husaini 2006). From the theological point of view, liberal means thinking to free oneself from traditional beliefs or thinking that traditional teachings should be transformed because it is no longer in line with modern thoughts (Oxford Dictionaries 2018). For Angel (2007), a liberal person is a moderate, in which he is willing to accept the Western ideology, culture and civilization and is willing to break away from any ideology, culture and civilization that are opposed to Western principles.These liberal terms are the basis of liberalism. However, there is no specific definition that can be assigned to liberalism because its meaning differs according to context and the tendency of an individual or a group. In general, liberalism can be defined as an individual having a liberal mind, or a person who is independent-thinking and democratic-minded in all aspects including religion, economy, ideology and politics. Liberal-minded individuals typically believe that all humans have the right and equality of speech and act and are free from religious and ideological constraints (Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy 2001). From a political point of view, liberalism is a mindset that centers on an individual considered to have a right in government administration; including respect to equality rights, rights of expression and act and freedom from religious and ideological ties (Blackburn, S. 1996). In the social context, liberalism is defined as a social ethic that defends liberty and equality in general (Coady, J. & Huckin, T. 1997). Liberalism also refers to an individual’s intentions as creator and determinant of action. What this means is the success and failure of a person is determined by his own actions and choices of actions. The fact is, humans have the freedom in their life where they are liberated human beings (Ridha Aida 2005; J W Azreena et al 2012; Norashibah et al 2018; al Muslim et al 2018). Liberalism from a religious perspective refers to the thought that attempts to liberate Islam from any ties of Islamic law by interpreting, developing or denying any proof of the law in order to conform to Western philosophical ideas. Its formative encompasses all aspects of human life including education, religion and social. It adheres to rational concepts, openness and intellectual freedom (Asri et.al. 2006; Wan Adli Wan Ramli 2012; Nurul Alieya et al 2018; Jaffary Awang et al 2018). This group of thinkers establish their arguments using basic human rights and evidence of scientific discovery as the benchmark and orientation to reject all religious interpretations if these interpretations are contradictory and against their way thinking (Lukman Hakim & Mohd Nasir Omar 2011; Zaizul et al 2018).
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