In reply to Lacrema's letter, Apostasy and the essence of true religion , I would say that it is naive to think that present-day Muslims will accept such a liberal definition of Islam. Especially since Islam as we know it today is based on the Quran and Hadith.

There are many verses in the Quran which condemn polytheism and idolatry. As such, Lacrema's ideas on religion - though well-meaning and thoughtful - would not sit well in orthodox Muslim circles.

The way forward for Muslims is to grab the bull by the horns; we must confront the fact that we are relying on an interpretation of Islam and the 'ijtihad' of scholars of the 10th century. Muslims should be rational enough to admit that there are many aspects of the 10th century interpretation of Islam which require a rethinking.

The social, political and technological conditions of the 21st century are vastly different from that of hundreds of years ago. Today we have the emancipation of women who are educated, go to work and contribute equally to the family income.

Above all, they are mothers as well. We cannot then expect women to simply sit back and accept a patriarchal society modelled on the 10th century. And what about all the progress made in science and technology?

Has it not eroded our faith in religion with its blade of skepticism in the divine and the supernatural? Were we 'specially created' or did we evolve as per Darwin? There is no doubt whatsoever that one prominent legacy of modern science is skepticism towards the supernatural.

Issues like these - along with the apostasy issue - clearly indicate that Islam needs a serious re- interpretation. Perhaps the reader ought to read Ziauddin Sardar's essay, Rethinking Islam .

Of one thing I am sure - that Malaysia with its 40 percent non-Muslim population is in the best position to lead a reformation of Islam. Her orthodoxy is diluted when compared to the Middle East.