The 8th Ahmad Ibrahim Memorial Lecture@ Seri Pacific Hotel, KL (Wednesday, 8th August 2007)
Friday, August 31st, 2007
Salam,
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds;
Most Gracious, Most Merciful;
Master of the Day of Judgment.
Thee do we worship, and Thide aid we seek.
Show us the straight way,
The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace,
those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray.
[Surah al-Fatihah (1):1-7]
My law faculty, Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws (AIKOL) has this tradition where annually it will hold a memorial lecture in tribute of its founder, Al-marhum Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim bin Mohamed Ibrahim. I was always curious of what it actually is, however in previous years only lecturers and staffs from AIKOL were invited to attend. Fortunately this year, my curiousity was answered when students were invited as well. I registered under the Law Society (LAWSOC) to join them.
This year, it was held at Seri Pacific Hotel (previously known as Pan Pacific Hotel). Emeritus Professor Gordon Woodman from Birmingham University was invited to be the speaker regarding to the topic "Globalization, Social and Religious Diversity and Legal Pluralism: Can the State Law Survive?" As quoted by the Dean of AIKOL, Prof. Dr. Zaleha Kamarudin:
" Globalization is essentially a phenomenon with an impact on all human institutions. It is a continuation of the enslavement process of other religious groups and civilizations by one dominant civilization or religion. Religious diversity is a function of understanding and acceptance of the religion of each other, in the sense that one recognizes that each tradition is valid in itself. This is best achieved by following the genesis and evolution of each religion in its own historic setting. It is in this context that this is a timely topic to be discussed and will be hotly debated."
From my observation, I think that Prof. Gordon Woodman gave a fair view regarding to the topic. However I think he was being safe most of the time, which in the end the conclusion would always be the secular law would be the best law to be practised regardless of the practice of any religion-based law in order to preserve harmony among multi-religion society.
However I would like make a tribute for our beloved Prof. Ahmad in this entry by including his impressive profile in this entry. May his aspiration to have Islamic law to be practised in Malaysia be achieved one day. Indeed Islamic law is a revelation of Allah, the wisest and fairest on all mankind , regardless to Muslims or Dzimmi Kuffar (Non-Muslims who are not the enemies of Islaam).
Profile of Al-Marhum Prof. Emeritus Tan Sri Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim bin Mohamed Ibrahim.
Ahmad Ibrahim, or his full name Ahmad bin Mohamed Ibrahim, was born in Singapore in 1916. After completing his tertiary education at Raffles College he went to London University to continue his studies where he graduated with a BA in 1935. Thereafter Ahmad Ibrahim proceeded to St. John’s College, Cambridge on the Queen’s scholarship and obtained a first class honours in economics and law tripos in 1939. He was also awarded the George Long Prize for Roman Law. Ahmad Ibrahim won the certificate of honour in the Bar final examination and was subsequently called to the English Bar in 1941.
On his return to Singapore he joined the public service and served as magistrate and district judge between 1946 and 1947. After that he lectured at the Raffles College and then went to private practice as an advocate and solicitor between 1949 and 1955. In the meantime Ahmad Ibrahim also served in several organizations including the Rural Board, Municipal Commission and the Singapore Legislative Council. Ahmad Ibrahim was also active in promoting the cause of Islam and the Muslims, as exemplified by his involvement in Muslim societies. He was the President of the Young Muslim Men’s Association (YMMA) in Singapore which got him involved in the legal proceedings of Natrah, a young Dutch Muslim girl, who became the centre of a controversial legal tussle in Singapore in the early 1950s. Ahmad was also involved in the Young Men’s Physical and Literary Union (YMPLU) of which his father, Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim devoted his life and energy for the promotion of Islam. Although he underwent secular schooling, he kept going back to his roots through personal study in traditional schools as well as through contacts with religious scholars.
Ahmad Ibrahim also had a hand in the formation of Persatuan Ulama Malaysia (PUM) or the Religious Scholars Association of Malaysia in 1972; serving as the advisor to the pro-tem committee. After several years in legal practice, Ahmad rejoined the public service and served in various capacities such as magistrate, district judge, Crown Counsel and Deputy Public Prosecutor between 1956 and 1957. He rose through the ranks and became Senior Crown Counsel in 1957 and then State Advocate-General of Singapore in 1959 and eventually the Attorney-General of Singapore in 1963, a position held until 1967. Between 1967 and 1968 Ahmad Ibrahim served as Singapore’s Ambassador to Egypt.
He obtained his MA from Cambridge in 1963 and was awarded honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) by the University of Singapore in 1965. He came to Malaysia and joined the University of Malaya as a professor at the Faculty of Economics and Administration in 1969 and then as the founding dean of the university’s law faculty from 1972. Ahmad Ibrahim also served as acting vice chancellor of the university in 1974. He helped to set up the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) in 1983 and became the university’s kulliyyah of laws Shaykh. He also served as Acting Deputy Rector of IIUM on several occassions.
Ahmad Ibrahim also served in various public capacities such as the chairman of the technical committee for coordinating Islamic laws in the Prime Minister’s Department; and played a leading role in the publication of Jurnal Hukum, which published the decisions of the syariah courts in Malaysia. In view of his wide experience, he was also appointed as chairman of the syariah advisory committee for Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad and Syarikat Takaful, the country’s first Islamic insurance company. He also sat in the Islamic Consultative Council (Badan Perunding Islam).
Given his role in developing Malaysia’s legal education, Ahmad Ibrahim was given the honour to hold the chair of Malaysian Law when he was at University Malaya and subsequently bestowed the title of Emeritus Professor by the university. In view of his contributions to Islam in Malaysia. Ahmad Ibrahim was named the Maal Hijrah Award recipient for 1988. In the preceding year he was awarded Iqbal medal for the same contribution. He was also awarded the Tun Razak Award in 1991. The Malaysian Government awarded him with two federal awards, the Johan Mangku Negara (JMN) in 1974 and the Panglima Setia Mahkota (PSM) which carries the title Tan Sri in 1987. Prior to that in 1979, the State Government of Penang bestowed him with Darjah Mahkota Pangkuan Negeri (DMPN) which carries the titke Datuk. Ahmad Ibrahim passed away on April 18, 1999.
* Excerpt from, Abdul Aziz Bari, "Ahmad Ibrahim and the Islamisation of Law in Malaysia" ins. Mohamad@ Md. Som Sujiman (Comp), Monograph on Selected Malay Intellectuals, Kuala Lumpur: Research Centre, IIUM 2003, PP. 231-258.
** One interesting info that was given by my lecturer Dr. Ibrahim, Prof. Ahmad was never admitted to the hospital even once during his life of 86 years even on his dying day because he passed away in the ambulance. Prof. Ahmad once told that perhaps it was because of his habit of to always be in wudhu’ (ablution). Wallhualam.
