All are God’s people

All religions are good but it is Man that give them a bad name

Muslims seem to think that Christians in this country are their sworn enemies and must be kept under strict surveillance. Their every move must be monitored to prevent them from contaminating their Muslim brothers and sisters. This had bred some ridiculous results: raiding a church during a fund-raising dinner to purportedly save Muslims from the jaws of proselytisation, accusing the Christians of hatching a sinister plot to take power and install a Christian prime minister, organising a seminar whose initial thrust was to discuss the menace posed by Christianity. 

Free Malaysia Today 

It appears that the gravest threat to national security is Christianity. This is the religion that can throw Muslims into a morass of confusion and ultimately undermine their faith in Islam. It is as if there are two moral forces tugging at the soul of Man – one considered dangerous and therefore bad, and the other seen as pure and therefore good. The battle line had long ago been drawn in ancient wars pitting the ardent followers of the cross against the fervent supporters of the scimitar. The hatred and virulent resentment drawn in the sands of time continue to simmer and boil to this day. In Malaysia, the dominant race is waging a seemingly undeclared war on the Christians, suscipiciously backed and abetted by the dominant political party in power.

The antagonism displayed towards the Christians makes a mockery of the gospel of peace and tolerance as preached by the prime minister. His attempt to build a bridge with the Christian community as exemplified in his overt diplomatic gesture with the Vatican seems to be nothing more than playing to the gallery. It is shaping up to be a phoney act. He projected himself as the messenger of peace but failed to quench the fire of hate that is burning uncontrollably in the hearts of his community. The handshakes in Rome did not translate into a general swelling of fellowship and brotherhood back home.

Muslims seem to think that Christians in this country are their sworn enemies and must be kept under strict surveillance. Their every move must be monitored to prevent them from contaminating their Muslim brothers and sisters. This had bred some ridiculous results: raiding a church during a fund-raising dinner to purportedly save Muslims from the jaws of proselytisation, accusing the Christians of hatching a sinister plot to take power and install a Christian prime minister, organising a seminar whose initial thrust was to discuss the menace posed by Christianity. But every step taken to demonise this monotheistic religion is causing deep hurt and distrust in citizens whose spiritual home is the church.

The school has become the latest battleground in a relentless campaign to bash Christians and it appears to have the sanction of the laws of the country. As long as the target is the followers of the other prophet, also revered in Islam, the attack is legitimate. So teachers are roped in to be another shield against the “subversive elements”. All fired up with zealousness, it is not far-fetched to see the missionary teachers poisoning the susceptible minds of Muslim students against people of other faith. They may even turn up the heat and vent their spleen on these “infidels” in their classrooms and at the school assemblies. All these acts of zealotry will only push the country to the brink.

Christians can only watch in increasing frustration as one senseless act after another unfolds on the national stage. They are expected to hang their heads in meek submission and behave like sheep led to the slaughterhouse. If they were to organise a seminar pointing out the dangers of Islamisation, all hell would break loose. The government-backed moral police force will disrupt the gathering in double-quick time in a boorish show of arrogance. Religious tolerance is interpreted to mean giving Christians a small space to practise their faith, for which they should be mighty grateful. Religious freedom is just a concept espoused whenever it is convenient to politicians eyeing for power in high office.

In a multi-religious and multi-ethnic society, playing the religious card is inviting trouble. To deliberately fan the flame of religious bigotry and create tension will only bring short-term gains to the party in power eager to perpetuate its rule or to one Islamist political rival bent on turning the country into an Islamic state. In the long run, the religious divide will grow wider and become unbridgeable, with dire consequences. Christians and Muslims are all creatures of God. All are created equal. There is no evil in Christianity. There is no evil in Islam. All religions are good. Only Man are evil when they choose the crooked path to use religion as a tool to foment trouble and disturb the peace of the country.