The “Democrat Muslim” Rashid Ghannouchi and His Influence on Malaysia’s Parti Amanah Negara
Dr Maszlee Malik, ISEAS Visiting Fellow, sharing with the audience the details of a study conducted on Amanah leaders and members (Source: ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute)
Friday, 14 October 2016 – Dr Maszlee Malik, Visiting Fellow of ISEAS – Yusuf Ishak Institute, gave a seminar on The ‘Democrat Muslim’ Rashid Ghannoushi and His Influence on Malaysia’s Parti Amanah Negara (AMANAH).
Rashid Ghannouchi was known for his adherence towards the idea of Islamic Democracy, by accepting democracy and its value as part of Islam. Ghannouchi’s non-conventional idea is being seen as a new revised method for a modern democratic age for Muslims around the globe, and recently considered as his epistemological departure from the conventional ‘Political Islam’ to the new paradigm of ‘Democrat Muslim’.
Dr Norshahril Saat, ISEAS Fellow, chairing the Q&A session (Source: ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute)
Dr Maszlee argued that in Malaysia, al-Ghannouchi’s ideas and approach were admired by some, including non-Muslims. Al-Ghannouchi’s thoughts have been identified as a remedy for the radical and extreme ideologies under the banner of Islam. Ghannouchi is seen as the moderate ideologue to harmonise between Islamic ideals and Western democracy. Ghannouchism has been adopted by few Islamic NGOs and a newly established Islamic party AMANAH. According to its founders, AMANAH was established to bring the ideals of Democrat Muslims and a realistic measurement in charting a new future for Malaysian politics.
More than 20 people attended the seminar.
Participants at the seminar (Source: ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute)