KUALA LUMPUR: The primacy of Malay dignity and the inherent strength of Malay society are built on the foundations of Islamic values, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He emphasised that this is an aspect which needs reiteration today, noting that it was highlighted in several books written by the Royal Laureate Prof Diraja Tan Sri Dr Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas.
“This is an aspect which needs reiteration, particularly in this day and age, rather than partake of the self-induced delusion of ‘Malays losing power’ and the consequential chest-thumping hysteria in asserting ‘Ketuanan Melayu’,” he said.
He was speaking at an extempore speech on ‘Islam: the Covenants Fulfilled’ by Syed Muhammad Naquib at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL) tonight.
Also present were Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek and Prof Dr Alparslan Acikgenc from Ibn Khaldun University, Turkiye.
He said Syed Muhammad Naquib’s great works served as the reminder of the Islamic outlook on life based on the overarching dominion of the core civilisational values of justice, culture, freedom, morality and societal progress.
“Above all, the call to overcome ignorance with knowledge, to go into the light from darkness, all these being the absolutely essential building blocks of a noble and great civilisation,” he said.
Anwar said the government will take the initiative to enhance the Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas Library at the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC), with its current collection estimated at more than 150,000 titles.
“Let us pray that future generations will draw inspiration and benefit from our quintessential Islamic scholar, our teacher par excellence, our beloved Royal Laureate Prof Naquib Al-Attas,” he said.
As one of Syed Muhammad Naquib’s devoted pupils, Anwar said the scholar inspired him to go the extra mile, step out of his comfort zone of books and studies, and take action to make things happen.
He said the scholar’s book on Islam and Secularism, published more than four decades ago, has had a lasting impression on him, and believes that it remains compellingly relevant today.
