- A friend told me today that after much deliberation, he and his family members would be migrating to Australia for good. He is a middle-income earner. Money was not his main goals. His relocation was attributed to two factors i.e. education for his children and the future on non-Malays in this country. He seriously feel that the country is no longer safe for non-Malays especially with the rise of the extremist that is pushing for Malay supremacy and the difficulty for non Malays to practice their religion.
- There are two parts of his reasons. One was about education. I must say that I agree with him after seeing the quality of education is seriously degrading. Many of the teachers in the urban setting are financially motivated and educating is secondary. This I have dwell in detail previously. I am more concern about his second reason. This reason is a valid one. We live in a multi-ethnic country and we call ourselves as one nation. And yet, we restrict the right of non-Muslims to practice their religion. It is almost impossible to get permission to built new churches and temples. If approval were granted they are being built outside residential areas. They have to go into commercial or industrial area and the design no longer looks like a church or a temple. The Malays with the weak faith thinks that their religion is compromised by having another prayer house in their midst.
- In areas where there are Mosque, there are no principles and standard ruling that applies on the usage of megaphones. In my own area, I could here the Azan from a neighboring mosque in Sri Ukay (2 km) and yet my mosque is blasting the Azan as if they want the people in KLCC to hear them. I have engaged them privately and have suggested simple things like to do a sound mapping so that soothing Azan could be heard within the mosque membership (Qariah). I am embarrassed with their stand and could no longer find in me to engage them. Now they have now move to the next level i.e. reciting the Quran using the megaphones before Azan. No one (Muslim and non Muslim) in my area object to the need of having Azan but what the people wants is to hear is a soothing Azan with a reasonable volume that is pleasant to the ear. Unfortunately there are powerful, narrow minded people who think it is their right to have Azan as loud as they want to. They think the grandiosity of Islam is related to the loudness of the Azan. The irony is during Azan most of my Muslims and Non Muslims neighbors would close their doors and windows as they cant take it. That includes the people who claims that they cant hear the Azan.
- The non-Malays in my area felt helpless and repressed. I can’t blame them. I understand their predicament. They have no avenues to complain. If they complain they worry it may become a big local issue. They are seriously worried about their own and family safety. They live in fear and many has move out and many more planning to do the same. In the end the community will be divided and will split within ethnic lines. Is this what we want for the nation? The psychological fear is real and it is time that we take stock of the matter. As a Muslim, I am disappointed but I am helpless because I cant do anything. The other fellow Muslims neighbors complains behind the scene and dare not to come forward as they dont want to be labelled. We need to ask ourselves where do we want to go as a nation?
Dr Rafick
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