Malaysia & the Club of Doom

By Syed Akbar Ali

Well Tobruk in Libya fell yesterday. I was listening to Muammar Ghaddafi live on Al Jazeera last nite. He was quite incoherent. When he said ‘haazi bilaadi’ (this is my country), I think he really meant it. Macam bapak dia punya negeri.

I also received a phone call last nite from a friend. He just called to say that those things that I had said in my book about the Islamic countries collapsing is coming true. My second book is called ‘Malaysia And The Club of Doom – The Collapse of the Islamic Countries’. It was published five years ago in 2006. My dear wife says my predictions are more accurate than Nostradamus.

The fact is there is no need for ‘Nostradamus’. Looking at the Islamic countries, speaking to Muslims everyday, looking at their non dependence on logic, looking at their divorce from competition and the free market, looking at their over dependence on the Government giving them jobs and sustaining them, looking at the fanatic grip and influence of their many, many versions of “religion” in their daily lives – I cannot help seeing it as clear as daylight that they are all doomed.These are standard observations in almost all Islamic countries. There is no need to be a Nostradamus. I could just see it coming. Sorry folks. I don’t know how else to say this.

Yes I was very pessimistic about the fate of the Islamic countries in that book. Sad to say I am still very pessimistic about the fate of the Islamic countries. For Malaysia I am very pessimistic about the fate of the Muslims in this country.

My book has sold over 13,000 copies. That is not bad at all for an English language book written by a Malaysian author in a non English speaking country. I don’t want to brag or boast or toot my own horn, but a few people have suggested that my book be made required reading in Universities and colleges in Malaysia. Yes I agree, very strongly. No other Muslim Malaysian author has written a book similar to ‘Malaysia And The Club of Doom – The Collapse of the Islamic Countries’. And now many of the things I have said in the book have come true.Especially the Muslims should read and understand what I said in that book.

There are many, many reasons why the Islamic countries are facing serious problems. The cancer is very, very deep. Yes they can get rid of Hosni Mubarak, they can get rid of Khaddafy, they can change the Government in Bahrain. But this will NOT solve their problems overnite. God knows, these countries may become even more worse.

Here are some facts about Islamic countries. This is about their population explosion problem. Malaysia is NOT excluded:

Population Explosion in the Muslim World
By Nidhal Guessoum, an astrophysicist and Professor of Physics at American University of Sharjah.

. The population of Egypt has increased from 44 million to 84 million people in the past 30 years! According to World Bank statistics, it is expected to reach 130 million in 2050. That is undoubtedly a stunning explosion.

· Algeria’s population increased from 19 to 35 million between 1980 and 2010 and is expected to reach 50 million in 2050;

· Iran’s population increased from 39 to 74 million in the past 30 years and is expected to reach 96 million in 2050;

· Pakistan’s population increased from 83 to 173 million in the past 30 years and is expected to reach 321 million in 2050;

· Even Malaysia (a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and well-managed country) is seeing the same doubling of population trend: from 14 to 28 million in the past 30 years, reaching 39 million by 2050;

· Saudi Arabia : the figures show even more staggering explosions (from 9 to 26 million in the past 30 years, reaching 42 million in 2050)

May I add that Indonesia has 235 million people in 2010. In 2000 their population was 206 million. At current growth, their population is expected to hit 470 million by 2060.

This is yet another serious problem facing the Islamic countries. Population doubling or tripling in just 30 years. 26 million in Saudi Arabia, 84 million in Egypt, 35 million in Algeria, 74 million in Iran, 173 million in Pakistan and 28 million in Malaysia.

Are there enough jobs, economic opportunities, infrastructure facilities (schools, hospitals, roads, water, electricity) for all these people? In Pakistan some parts of the country get electricity and water on only certain times of the day or some days of the week.

Why do the Islamic countries suffer (yes the word is suffer) such huge population explosions? Well many Muslims do NOT believe in family planning or birth control. The religious scholars are usually against birth control. (I am NOT referring to abortion – I am against abortion too).

The religious scholars have a saying which says ‘memperbanyakkan ummah’ or increasing the population of the ummah. In Biblical language it is the same as saying “go forth and multiply”.

Not surprisingly Old Testament Christians, like the Catholics, still say the same thing. Until today the Catholic Church believes strongly that birth control or family planning is unchristian. And it is a proven fact that Catholic families have larger numbers of children than Protestants. The Vatican has never fully endorsed family planning and birth control.

Why is this so? Because the Bible says so. Here are some references from the Bible. Yes these are from the Old Testament and yes many Christians don’t believe the Old Testament anymore but the Vatican and the Catholic Church may disagree. But I am not here to pass judgement on the Bible or Christians. I am merely pointing out that these beliefs have a precedent in the Bible.

Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

Genesis 9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.

Genesis 35:11 And God said to him, "I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number.

My view is these verses can be generally termed the ‘go forth and multiply’ verses of the Bible. It is the equivalent of the ‘memperbanyakkan ummah’ saying. The Bible also tells its followers to increase their number through birth. Make more babies.

Yes you can make babies but who is going to feed them? Clothe them? Educate them? Jobs are already scarce, food prices are going up, the economies in the Islamic countries are less productive. So how are they going to provide a good life for six children or nine children?

The religious people say God will provide for them. This is true. The Quran does say:

[Surah 17:31] You shall not kill your children due to fear of poverty. We provide for them, as well as for you. Killing them is a gross offense.

The Quran never said that it is wrong to have fewer children or to plan your family. God never said that you must have two children, six children, seven children or nine children. The Quran remains silent on the numbers. The Quran says it is evil to kill your children but nowhere does the Quran say that you must “go forth and multiply” at all. The saying “memperbanyakkan ummah” is extra Quranic, it is NOT from the Quran.

Even a religious scholar must understand that the more mouths you have to feed, it means more children will have to make do with less. Imagine satu ekor ikan kembong shared by six people. Ayah makan ekor, ibu makan kepala and the kids can pick at the middle.

What about education? We in Malaysia are lucky because ada duit minyak Petronas. Buku teks percuma, yuran sekolah percuma, university percuma and so on. But even that is coming to an end. With 30 million population, even Petronas oil money will not be enough to ‘bagi percuma’ forever.

Look at Indonesia. They have more oil money than us – but with 235 million population, the Government cannot give them things “percuma”. They cannot afford it. Not enough money to “bagi semua benda free”.What if our oil money runs out? Macam mana kalau minyak pula habis? Macam mana nak dapat buku teks free, yuran free, university free dan sebagainya?

This is another reason why the Islamic countries are doomed. They are facing a tremendous population explosion. Their religious beliefs prevent them from embarking on good family planning. As a result they will have four, five, six or ten kids per family. The children will be fed no doubt, but as I said ‘enam orang share se ekor ikan kembong lah’.

OK lah buku teks dapat free, yuran sekolah free, hospital pun sabsidi. But what about piano lessons for the kids? Computer lessons? Music class? Ballet? Extra sports activities? Books, magazines, computers, lap tops. Taking the kids on holidays overseas? Or going for a domestic holiday? Forget it.. Semua tak boleh.

Travelling opens up our mind. If teenagers travel overseas, they see and learn so much. My two young sons are better people for having seen half a dozen different countries and understanding more about the world at large. But all this costs money. Kalau lah anak enam orang atau lapan orang, how are we going to take eight kids on a foreign holiday?

Then when they grow up, will they be able to compete? Can they get good jobs? Can they set up businesses that can compete without tongkat and sabsidi? Or can they only work for the Government sector? Or will they become low level ‘manpower’ for the Japanese and the American foreign companies?

“Go forth and multiply” (which sounds so similar to 'memperbanyakkan ummah') is another belief that is found in the Bible. There is no such saying in the Quran.

Folks, for the Muslim countries it is not as simple as dumping Hosni Mubarak, throwing out Khaddafy or changing the government. That is important too. That is the first step. But the Muslims have a much longer road ahead. They really have to start thinking now. Using the mind, that is the real frontier the Muslims have to overcome - to think logically and to use intellect, minus "religious" obfuscations.