Your "exclusive" on the Sultan of Pahang, Ahmad Shah, [#1] Sultan fathered illegitimate daughter, says ex-Filipino nurse [/#] (March 1), was indeed a skeleton in the proverbial cupboard awaiting to be set free! The least we can now expect is the chance for the other side to give his version of the story, if he wants to, that is. Should that happen, I have no doubt whatsoever that malaysiakini will have no qualms about carrying what he has to say.

Mine is not to conclude and much less pass any sort of moral judgment on the episode. Why and how it happened is the least of my concern.

But what sickens me about the exclusive (or expos if one looks at it that way) is the way Islam is (yet again) made the victim! It does nothing but contribute further to the misconception of Islam in the eyes of the non-Muslims, or even among some Muslims themselves.

I cannot but feel flabbergasted at the sultan's (through his source) application of Islamic laws. Any Muslim (worth his salt) will declare that Islamic laws are the command of the Almighty Himself as is manifested in the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW)! And considering that the sultan is the head of the religion, surely this is the mother of all mockeries!

His source claims that being illegitimate; the child forfeits the biological father's inheritance, and that Islamic law does not recognise the illegitimate child. I shall not even attempt to confirm or deny this, for doing that will carry us off-tangent.

The issue is, if Islamic laws are correctly administered, then the question of future inheritance does not arise, because the sultan would by now be a dead man; stoned to death if it was mutual consent to have illegal sex. That Carla is his daughter is not the contentious issue here, as there was not an iota of denial by the sultan. Therefore, there was sexual union and it was out of wedlock in the Islamic sense. The penalty as ordained is as clear as day.

Then it was revealed that for the matter to be brought to the courts, there has to be a special permission to be sought from the attorney-general, who will then 'cause' for the Special Court to be set up to hear the complaint. Again here, there is not a trace of Islamic law. In Islam (and I do believe in practically all other religions too) what applies to Bilal Rabbah (the pitch-black African slave) equally applies to Muhammad (SAW), the Messenger of Allah!

But, the reality of the situation is, as with many other issues and instances, Muslims the world over choose to talk about 'Islamic laws' when it suits them, and reject the parts that do not serve their narrow interests. Quite naturally, attitudes like these portray the wrong (and quite rightly so) image of Islam, not only to the non-Muslims, but to a good number of professed Muslims themselves.

Let me categorically state that, yes, "...there is no compulsion in religion" (Qur'an 2:256). But then again let me also stress that there is "no compulsion" for those who do not want to be Muslims. For those who profess to be one, then they are bound by the command, "Oh you who believe, enter you into Islam in totality , and do not die except in the state iman!" (Qur'an 2:208; emphasis mine).

And before the coming of (the angel) Israeel, seek His forgiveness and mercy. For Allah is Most Compassionate, Most Merciful!