Malaysia maintains communal harmony

Malaysia maintains communal harmony

Aidit bin Haji Ghazali provides a perspective of Moslem and non-
Moslem relationships in contemporary Malaysia.

What appears new, occurs when something which is seemingly
difficult becomes manageable, and that which is unexpected is
realized. This is the scenario against which the relationship
between Moslems and non-Moslems is gaining attention in this
world of different races, religions, nationalities, cultures and
tastes. Such is the situation despite the strife between Hindus
and Moslems in India, the Balkan conflict in which the Moslem
factor has been unfairly highlighted, and the impact of Samuel
Huttington's essay on the clash of civilizations.

In its true essence, Islam endorses the notion of harmony
within the ambit of a principled way of life. The Constitution of
Medina, the just treatment of non-Moslems during the times of the
Prophet Muhammad and his companions who served as Caliphs, when
there existed an exemplary relationship between Moslem and non-
Moslem traders, and between Moslem rulers and non-Moslem
subjects, vouches for the high degree of tolerance practiced by
Moslems vis-a-vis their non-Moslem counterparts.

Al-Andalus (present-day Spain and part of Portugal) of the
10th to the 13th centuries was a melting pot of traders,
industrialists and intellectuals of different races, religions
and languages, including Moslems, Jews, Arabs, Berbers and
Christians. Their interaction was not only confined to the
trading of goods but also included the exchange of views. Each
trader had his own sense of loyalty to his religion and nation
and the Andalusian experience showed that there were no
insurmountable barriers to inter-religious harmony as long as
there was the will.

History can be repeated and, hopefully, it is the good that
will be repeated. Nations today would do well to subscribe to
this, for, far too often, intellectual arrogance, political
blindness and extremist allegiance have had the better of justice
and virtue. The sad fact is that when this occurs repeatedly,
there seems to be a lackadaisical or indifferent attitude to the
creation of a cohesive and harmonious multi-religious, multi-
racial and multi-cultural world. At best, these multiple factors
are merely accepted as a fact of life without the commitment to
make the best out of them.

As a Moslem country, Malaysia is unique in that almost half
its population is non-Moslem. Malaysia takes pride in having
maintained a harmonious balance of social, political and economic
integration. This has been possible even in the midst of having
to deal with chauvinistic sentiments from various quarters.
Malaysians have come to realize that there is no better way of
conveying virtue than to prove it in practice. They also realize
that there is no easy way of convincing others of these virtues
and the concomitant truth that these virtues uphold.

When these considerations are applied to the task of educating
Malaysian society about Islam, the main objective is to do this
without causing undue alarm to the non-Moslem population. Hence,
great care has to be given to educating the society regarding the
need to address various issues through a value-laden and God-
conscious approach. Subsequent steps comprise creating an open
but guided dialogue on how various religions can join efforts in
addressing a certain issue. If need be, institutions should be
designed to facilitate such dialog.

Of course, intellectual discourse has limitations. The task of
actualizing what Islam proposes in the form of economic
activities, for example, lies with institutions committed to
proving the viability of Islamic principles both in tangible and
in non-tangible pursuits. The former includes things such as
profits, efficiency, professionalism, high productivity and long-
term sustainability, while the latter calls for greater degrees
of accountability, honesty, justice and moral conduct.

This has been the strategy adopted when Malaysia plans to
introduce something that carries the Islamic label. In the field
of education, the establishment of the International Islamic
University underwent a similar process, as did the issue of
upgrading the Syariah courts to the level of the High Court.

Non-Moslems in Malaysia have become generally assured of the
good that Islam brings when they observe that Islamic
alternatives do not prohibit their involvement. While Malaysia's
success has gone a long way to alleviating racial and religious
tensions, the maturity of the Malaysian government and the people
in general must not be underestimated.

It is this maturity, in addition to the finesse and pragmatism
applied in promoting religious understanding, that have
smoothened the path for social cohesion.

Aidit bin Haji Ghazali is Chief Executive Officer of the Institut
Minda, Malaysia.