Malaysia maintains communal harmony<\/p>\n
Aidit bin Haji Ghazali provides a perspective of Moslem and non-
\nMoslem relationships in contemporary Malaysia.<\/p>\n
What appears new, occurs when something which is seemingly
\ndifficult becomes manageable, and that which is unexpected is
\nrealized. This is the scenario against which the relationship
\nbetween Moslems and non-Moslems is gaining attention in this
\nworld of different races, religions, nationalities, cultures and
\ntastes. Such is the situation despite the strife between Hindus
\nand Moslems in India, the Balkan conflict in which the Moslem
\nfactor has been unfairly highlighted, and the impact of Samuel
\nHuttington's essay on the clash of civilizations.<\/p>\n
In its true essence, Islam endorses the notion of harmony
\nwithin the ambit of a principled way of life. The Constitution of
\nMedina, the just treatment of non-Moslems during the times of the
\nProphet Muhammad and his companions who served as Caliphs, when
\nthere existed an exemplary relationship between Moslem and non-
\nMoslem traders, and between Moslem rulers and non-Moslem
\nsubjects, vouches for the high degree of tolerance practiced by
\nMoslems vis-a-vis their non-Moslem counterparts.<\/p>\n
Al-Andalus (present-day Spain and part of Portugal) of the
\n10th to the 13th centuries was a melting pot of traders,
\nindustrialists and intellectuals of different races, religions
\nand languages, including Moslems, Jews, Arabs, Berbers and
\nChristians. Their interaction was not only confined to the
\ntrading of goods but also included the exchange of views. Each
\ntrader had his own sense of loyalty to his religion and nation
\nand the Andalusian experience showed that there were no
\ninsurmountable barriers to inter-religious harmony as long as
\nthere was the will.<\/p>\n
History can be repeated and, hopefully, it is the good that
\nwill be repeated. Nations today would do well to subscribe to
\nthis, for, far too often, intellectual arrogance, political
\nblindness and extremist allegiance have had the better of justice
\nand virtue. The sad fact is that when this occurs repeatedly,
\nthere seems to be a lackadaisical or indifferent attitude to the
\ncreation of a cohesive and harmonious multi-religious, multi-
\nracial and multi-cultural world. At best, these multiple factors
\nare merely accepted as a fact of life without the commitment to
\nmake the best out of them.<\/p>\n
As a Moslem country, Malaysia is unique in that almost half
\nits population is non-Moslem. Malaysia takes pride in having
\nmaintained a harmonious balance of social, political and economic
\nintegration. This has been possible even in the midst of having
\nto deal with chauvinistic sentiments from various quarters.
\nMalaysians have come to realize that there is no better way of
\nconveying virtue than to prove it in practice. They also realize
\nthat there is no easy way of convincing others of these virtues
\nand the concomitant truth that these virtues uphold.<\/p>\n
When these considerations are applied to the task of educating
\nMalaysian society about Islam, the main objective is to do this
\nwithout causing undue alarm to the non-Moslem population. Hence,
\ngreat care has to be given to educating the society regarding the
\nneed to address various issues through a value-laden and God-
\nconscious approach. Subsequent steps comprise creating an open
\nbut guided dialogue on how various religions can join efforts in
\naddressing a certain issue. If need be, institutions should be
\ndesigned to facilitate such dialog.<\/p>\n
Of course, intellectual discourse has limitations. The task of
\nactualizing what Islam proposes in the form of economic
\nactivities, for example, lies with institutions committed to
\nproving the viability of Islamic principles both in tangible and
\nin non-tangible pursuits. The former includes things such as
\nprofits, efficiency, professionalism, high productivity and long-
\nterm sustainability, while the latter calls for greater degrees
\nof accountability, honesty, justice and moral conduct.<\/p>\n
This has been the strategy adopted when Malaysia plans to
\nintroduce something that carries the Islamic label. In the field
\nof education, the establishment of the International Islamic
\nUniversity underwent a similar process, as did the issue of
\nupgrading the Syariah courts to the level of the High Court.<\/p>\n
Non-Moslems in Malaysia have become generally assured of the
\ngood that Islam brings when they observe that Islamic
\nalternatives do not prohibit their involvement. While Malaysia's
\nsuccess has gone a long way to alleviating racial and religious
\ntensions, the maturity of the Malaysian government and the people
\nin general must not be underestimated.<\/p>\n
It is this maturity, in addition to the finesse and pragmatism
\napplied in promoting religious understanding, that have
\nsmoothened the path for social cohesion.<\/p>\n
Aidit bin Haji Ghazali is Chief Executive Officer of the Institut
\nMinda, Malaysia.<\/p>",
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