I have a great respect for the moral and humanitarian instincts of our Prime Minister Abdullah Ahamd Badawi and I believe he will make a great Muslim leader for all Malaysians.
He has shown himself quite immune to greed, and in my eyes he stands head and shoulders above the rest of the grasping, lying, cheating Barisan Nasional leadership.
As a non-bumi non-Muslim ethnic Chinese Malaysian citizen, I would nevertheless like to comment on the possible relevance of Islam Hadhari to all Malaysians.
The civil, technological, economic, educational and industrial successes of Malaysia make it stand head and shoulders above the other member nations of the Organisation of Islamic Conference.
Compared to some of the basket cases in the OIC, we are a very positive role model indeed. We have a semi-democracy (not perfect but still a democracy) compared to some OIC countries, which do not even allow for citizens to vote.
We may be corrupt but nowhere near as bad as Indonesia, Pakistan, Sudan, and much of the Middle East. We may have a growing problem with crime but again, compared with the utter lawlessness of a Nigeria, Sudan or Pakistan our country compares very well.
And unlike the previous Taliban regime in Afghanistan, we educate our women and do not beat them in public for not wearing a veil.
I feel Malaysia must try to export our egalitarian, scientifically-driven and achievement-oriented values to these less-developed OIC countries before their militants infect us with their ideologies of hate and violence.
The videotaped killings of pathetic, terrified, helpless civilian hostages in Iraq by heroically cutting their heads off with kitchen knives can now be justified on religious grounds by ideologically twisted hate-filled militants.
Already we have Malaysian citizens amongst the upper ranks of the al-Qaeda-linked Jemmah Islamiah who happily participate in church bombings in Indonesia and not forgetting the horrific Bali bombings.
I do not think that Islamic militants will stand idly by as we continue to progress as a moderate and successful nation espousing Islamic values - values that clearly oppose theirs.
The situation in Iraq has deteriorated to such an extent that it is not safe even for a moderate Muslim nation like Malaysia to send humanitarian medical teams to help Iraqi civilians.
For those who can connect the dots, the timing of the killings of the two Pakistani Muslim civilian hostages in Iraq was no accident. The message is crystal clear. The Iraqi militants clearly do not want any relief or aid for despairing Iraqi civilians.
It is their hope that the chaos and suffering of war persists. And having earned the condemnation of Muslim leaders and nations for the murder of two Pakistani Muslims, the Iraqi militants responded quickly by bombing several Iraqi churches that same week which killed 11 people.
The Iraqi church bombings were meant to shore up their religious credentials in the eyes of the global ummah, and in the twisted world of Middle Eastern religious politics, probably had the desired effect.
The role Malaysia plays in promoting peaceful and progressive values is important for everyone. It is arguably the most successful and advanced OIC nation in the world, and is increasingly looked upon as a role model. We are a peaceful nation that abhors violence.
If Islam Hadhari can be used to sincerely push for clean and transparent government, democracy, judicial independnce, non-violence, civil society, economic prosperity, high educational attainments and achievement oriented values, I believe that Malaysians of all ethnic groups, both Muslims and non-Muslims, will rally strongly and quickly around the prime minister.
These are values that actively unite the Malaysian populace regardless of ethnicity.
Used in such a way, I believe Islam Hadhari - if it espouses universal values - will quickly find its way into the hearts and minds of all Malaysians, and prove a great weapon in the battle for hearts and minds, in the quest for unity in diversity, peace and progress, and in the battle against terrorism.
