Dinar & Dirham - Part 1

Part 1 Dinar Kelantan: Dah Silap Kira Ke Bang

By Syed Akbar Ali

I have some thoughts about the dinar and dirham. For easier reading, I will be writing this in parts. In my third book “Things In Common”, Chapter 9 is called “The Dinero & The Dinar.” I have spoken about the infatuation with the gold dinar.

I think there is some serious confusion about gold, the dinar, whether it is “Islamic” and so on.

The Kelantan folks have launched their gold Dinar. Firstly this is an illegal act and I don’t know why the Government, especially Bank Negara is keeping quiet about this matter. I thought only the Federal Government, acting through the Bank Negara Malaysia can issue coinage and currency?

In my 2nd book “Malaysia And The Club of Doom – The Collapse of the Islamic Countries” I have listed it down that one of the characteristics of Failed States is that the central authority of the Government does not reach to all corners of the country. Parts of the country start to make their own rules and laws, different from the rest of the country. This is a frequent problem as well as a characteristic of the Islamic countries that eventually become Failed States. This is exactly what is happening in Kelantan. Now they are issuing their own coins and our central Government does not say anything.

When everyone can make their own rules and laws, it becomes a cowboy town. Law and order will finally breakdown when every State can make its own rules. What next? Will Kelantan issue their own passport too? Why not? Dah ada duit sendiri, buatlah passport sendiri.

Then there is the confusion, caused by lack of wanting to know the truth. Malas nak ambil tahu. The gold dinar is supposed to replace fiat money. So they say. The gold dinar is “Islamic” so they say. Well not quite.

The word ‘cheque’ which so represents the modern banking system is of course part and parcel of the fiat money system that is so abhorred by the sort of folks who favour the gold dinar. The word ‘cheque’ actually comes from the Persian ‘chak’ which then became the Arabic ‘sakk’ which was a note (a cheque) issued by traders in lieu of gold and goods. Instead of giving you a bag of gold or handing over two camels (in barter) the Muslim Arab traders sorted the idea of writing cheques or ‘sakk’ which has now become so widespread throughout the world.

Here is some background:

“During the 3rd century AD, banks in Persia and other territories in the Persian Sassanid Empire issued letters of credit known as chak (In New Persian script: چک. In Shahnameh there are several mentions of use of chak and in post-Islamic Arabic document this word appears as Arabicised ṣakks or صکّ). Muslim traders are known to have used the cheque or ṣakk system since the time of Harun al-Rashid (9th century) of the Abbasid Caliphate.”

I know Lim Guan Eng only knows three Arabic words “Umar Abdel Azeez” but many folks believe (I did not say I am one of them ok) that the highest achievement of a modern financial system during the Islamic Caliphates was under the Caliph Harun Al Rashid. And Muslim traders issued cheques or sakk.

So if the Muslims want to emulate a vibrant “Islamic” financial system, why not amplify the use of “sakk” or cheques? Harun Al Rashid already used it. If we are shy to say “cheque” then just say “al-cheque”.

To conclude Part 1, here is a picture of the new Kelantan coins. The big silvery coin is the dirham (the silver coinage). The gold dinar is the smaller yellow coin on the right. Both their dinar and dirham have this animal motif on the coin - I think that is a pair of pelanduk (looks too big for a kancil or it could be a napoh). And on the reverse of the gold dinar are arabic holy inscriptions. Is this "Islamic"?

I thought the PIS cheered when the Taliban blew up the Buddha images in Bamiyan, Afghanistan because, according to their religion, images of humans and animals, carvings of humans and animals are all haram. Habis pasal apa pula boleh ada ukiran binatang (pelandok) di belakang dinar dan dirham "Islam" Kelantan?

In an age when even the alphabet 't' or the alphabet 'x' have been associated with the christian cross, which was feared to sesatkan the aqedah of the Muslims, isnt it a bigger threat to the aqedah of the Muslims to put 'ukiran binatang' on one side of the dinar and the dirham?

And on the other side of the dinar and the dirham, they have put arabic holy writing (you can see part of it on the yellow gold coin). What if someone takes the gold dinar in his pocket to the toilet? Tidak menghina "Islam" ke?

Kalau orang lain buat depa marah pula - menyalak macam anjing kena rabies. Tapi bila depa buat - ok pula. Will continue.