Harmony in peril: But that's nothing new - is Umno-BN interested in UNITY?

In Malaysia, religion could be a very sensitive issue. For a very long time, conflicts pertaining to religion were out of bounds to public debates and open discussions. The public had to keep mum even though they were not happy with something for fear of incurring troubles.

The number of conflicts related to religion has climbed significantly in recent years, including the controversies over the use of the word "Allah" and the subsequent confiscation of Malay Bible, child custody of.parents of different religions and the detention of a Hindu bride by JAIS officers merely days ago. These issues have triggered widespread public concern and discussions.

Undeniably, each time such incidents have come to light, they were invariably trigger frustration and protests among non-Muslims in the country. In the meantime, Muslims feel that they hve been offended and intimidated, the privilege status of Islam not getting its due respect. Sometimes, verbal exchange of words could go a bit overboard and thjis will only serve to further entrench the misunderstanding that has already emerged.

With such incidents continuously taking place and brought to the attention of the civic and syariah courts which have produced largely contradictory verdicts, many Malaysians, Muslims or non-Muslims, hve felt increasingly perplexed, confused, and even frightened. It is worrisome that such inter-racial and inter-religious differences could spark greater distrust and misunderstanding among people of different faiths.

Such concern is not wholly unfounded, given the fact that religion is itself a highly sensitive thing and could go out of hand if not handled properly. The actual consequences could be beyond our prediction.

Fortunately racial and religious relationship has been able to be kept on the basis of mutual tolerance, mutual respect and non-intervention in Malaysia. However, deep inside us we are aware that such superficial harmony is extremely vulnerable and must not be taken for granted. Some irresponsible quarters have attempted to incite public emotions,. challenging the bottomline of either side's tolerance once and again.

There is no way we should allow such differences and misunderstandings to deepen. Even as we are anxious, the question is: how are we going to resolve such differences? Can we put in place a mechanism that will instantly initiate inter-faith dialogs during extraordinary times in seeking a common understanding through earnest interactions, or at least for all relevant quarters to momentarily set aside their arguments in a bid to cool down the soaring temperature?

We can understand that members of every religion and ethnic group are loyal to their own affiliations and would do everything to preserve the integrity of their faiths, which is absolutely normal. Nevertheless, such an affinity must not be allowed to go to extremes, culminating in acts of religious fanaticism.

It's time we learn to love and respect one another in creating true harmony for our society. -Mysinchew