Let religion unite, not divide

When did expressing respect and love to others become something to fear?

COMMENT

You really have to take your hat off to the people in ISMA. Just when you think they have exceeded themselves with a proclamation more ingenious than the one before, they raise the bar even higher to show how creatively twisted they are. Like all eccentric artists, they don’t care what you think.

Islam is uncompromisingly monotheistic, and that’s never been a problem to anyone. But unlike other Muslims, the ISMA people are monocultural and monochromatic. That became clear when the organisation declared, as its latest edict, that campaigns that promote respect and solidarity among religions, and respect between Islam and other religions in particular, could “destroy the faith” of Muslims.

This was in response to a picture taken during Thaipusam celebrations, which shows a young lady displaying a sign that said, “I’m a Muslim, I love Hindus.” Note that the language used is religion-neutral in that while it states the religion of the bearer, it promotes love and respect between the adherents of different faiths.

What a beautiful sentiment, right?

Unfortunately, in the eyes of ISMA, this is tantamount to betraying “religion and race”, an action so heinous that it could bring down the faith of Islam entirely. In ISMA’s view, these campaigns are designed to guilt trip Muslims into being kinder to non-Muslims, which apparently is an undesirable condition because Muslims are an oppressed people “in Palestine, Myanmar, France, Netherlands, in the African continent and other countries”.

This narrative that ISMA has created, where Malays and Muslims are constantly and consistently under siege from outside forces, is misguided at best in the context of Malaysia. With Islam as the official religion of the Federation and the Bumiputras accorded various privileges, there are few nations quite as welcoming as Malaysia to the great faith of Islam. It is revered and respected here as it should be and, for the large part, non-Muslims have accepted this as part and parcel of the life we lead in Malaysia.

This is why many non-Muslims find it hard to swallow when ISMA comes out against any and all efforts to establish some form of peace and harmony between the many religions of Malaysia. Its members seem to have convinced themselves that there can be no peace between the religions of Malaysia unless the other religions are subordinated when, in all truth, solidarity and respect between religions is the only way forward that makes sense.

Respect between religions does not mean the denigration of the Islamic faith. It establishes Islam as magnanimous, a peaceful faith that can co-exist with the disparate belief systems of the world without losing its sanctity and integrity.

Unshakeable faith

Let us take the picture at the heart of this matter for example. The sentence displayed by the girl makes clear that she is definitely and unchangeably Muslim, a declaration of unshakeable faith. But she extends a hand of fellowship to the Hindus worshipping at Batu Caves. Most language experts would tell you that Islam is portrayed in a dominant position within the context and composition of the picture.

Consider too the example set down by the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. He established the Saheefah constitution in Medina, which accorded the religions practised in the city-state privileges and restrictions alike, treating each with the utmost respect. In the Prophet’s own words, recorded in the Sunan of Abu Dawud, “Beware! Whoever is cruel and hard on a non-Muslim minority, or curtails their rights, or burdens them with more than they can bear, or takes anything from them against their free will, I will complain against the person on the Day of Judgement.”

What the young lady in the picture was doing – showing compassion and respect – must certainly be in the best tradition of the Prophet. It shows a person strong enough in her faith that she can freely witness the religious observations of another religion without fear of being influenced.

In these times of tension, not just in Malaysia but the world over, harmony between the faiths can be considered one of the essential keys to peace between the peoples of the world. Many conflicts around the world are rooted in faith, or at least, the illusion of it, and harmony between the religions would rob warmongers of a reason to find quarrel with each other. One may argue that the subjugation of other faiths by the faith of the majority would be the final solution, but a cursory look around the world will reveal that there will always be resistance when one ideology chooses to oppress another.

What ISMA is promoting is suited better to the mindset of a hermit determined to cut himself off from the rest of the world, to exist in solitude, an island alone. As a major world religion, the fastest growing religion, Islam cannot afford to maintain an isolationist attitude in the light of its eminent position among the faiths of the world.

Let it be understood that this is not a problem exclusive to Islam. All the major world religions and their adherents need to learn respect for each other as the lines drawn between countries, cultures, and religions grow ever more blurred with each passing day. We, as a planet, cannot survive as an organism continuously at war with ourselves. We must make a conscious choice to accept and understand each other if want to continue existing.