Treasure peace before it’s too late

The world has seen yet another episode of violence where over 250 innocent people died in the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka on April 21. Shootings involving two consecutive terrorist attacks at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, during Friday prayer on March 15 killed 50 people. Without a doubt, there has been a prevalence of bombing and shooting in places of worship, hotels, shopping malls and recreational parks due to differences in religious convictions. This will not come to an end if preemptive measures are not taken to combat religious intolerance.

The world, by design or default, is filled with a variety of people professing different faiths and ways of life. Never has there been a society that had not run into some kind of conflict due to race and religion. In other words, race and religion have always been a thorny issue and a divisive force in society when nothing palpable is done to inhibit this precarious social anomaly.

Conflicts due to race and religion have caused indescribable miseries to mankind where we see innocent people killed, properties destroyed and countries ruined. News of mayhem of this kind is flashed in the media almost every day all over the world. Countries are in tatters, all because of intolerance among people of different races and religions.

A nation will not truly appreciate the worth of living in peace until its people are embroiled in chaos and turbulence. History has revealed this undesirable fact of life. There are countries where people may be of the same race but are torn apart due to intra-racial discord. There are countries with people of the same religion which are condemned to intra-religious conflicts. There are also countries whose people speak a common language but are frayed just because of trivial divergent factors such as religion, caste and politics.

High premium on tolerance

Prevention is better than cure. Fortunately, we have yet to experience these quandaries as Malaysians in general have always placed a high premium on the importance of tolerance and harmony despite the many uncommon values and dynamics among us.

Despite some inconsequential hiccoughs here and there, Malaysians generally live in peace. We live in a multiracial setting where every race contributes in one way or another to the welfare of the nation. We have achieved success through political stability based on democracy, sound economic governance and tolerance among people of different religions and races.

The nation has to continue giving priority to progressive education to enlighten the masses when it comes to religious differences without negating the importance of spiritual values in their lives. We have achieved inclusive outcomes shared by all races through economic reconstruction and education despite our differences and political affiliations. We should further foster these efforts, what more this feeling of belonging and acceptance of others into our fold who may not be of the same race or religion.

In all facets of life, we have grown up as Malaysians. All and sundry are free to participate in open houses regardless of race. This has become a sort of motivation for us to make a positive contribution to national unity by getting together for inclusiveness, kindness, respect or even associating with the less fortunate among us. Schools, for that matter, should organise the same as race relations, tolerance and acceptance of differences begin in school among innocent minds.

Schools can organise social events on special occasions such as the main festivals celebrated by all races in the country. After all, Malaysians congregate at open houses on festival days not to offer prayers of any sort but to bequeath a message to the multiracial and multi-religious people of this country that despite our differences, we can still be friends and live in harmony. It has nothing to do with religious observance, but with generating a better understanding, respect and cooperation among people of different faiths and cultural backgrounds.

Personal ideals

At times, the vulnerability of inculcating intolerant values can begin in schools. The imbibing of inclusive values in citizens, too, can start in school. So let not extreme values in life creep into schools to prevent them from being faculties for all races. Schools should not allow zealous teachers to flaunt religion in a way that can make others uncomfortable. National schools are for all Malaysians, and they should stress universal norms and values that can be accepted by children and parents of all races and religions.

It would be for the benefit of all Malaysians if national schools confine the teaching of religion and moral education to cater to society’s immediate needs rather than enthralling the children too much with a metaphysical world based on a belief system that may not be common to or accepted by parents of all races. Instead, they should instil in students coherent and rational thinking that can help them learn to accept and be tolerant of differences. School life in a multiracial and multi-religious set-up must be rooted in tolerance.

If there is a syllabus to follow, teachers should confine their teachings to that and be guided by it. School principals should not entertain teachers who stray from the syllabus and go about indulging in religious or moral frills to sway students into becoming blinkered and close-minded citizens, as parents may have their own interpretation of what religion and morality are all about.

Flaunting religious or moral superfluities in schools, which can be peculiar to one race or religion, will not help bring people of all races and religions together. Some of these add-ons by overzealous teachers are the cause for national schools being generally perceived as gradually catering to the needs of a single race or religion. This does not augur well for national integration.

It’s when the ostensible aspects of a religion are overzealously flaunted in the presence of people of other religions that the latter react with hate and enmity. This can happen in any society, western or eastern. It would be wise, therefore, for the general values and norms peculiar to one religion but not universal to all be kept as personal ideals and out of schools.

Politicians can be the real culprits

Some politicians can be the real culprits, though. They are the ones who add fuel to the fire by inciting citizens using race and religion as tools for political expediency. Before this negativity flares up, there must be a political will on the part of the incumbent government to stop the rot. Racial and religious politics can be damaging to the country. The flame that is being ignited by these irresponsible elements will see the country fall into the category of the world’s irreversible failed states.

They may not anticipate this calamity until it really happens, and when it happens it will be too late and of no gain to anyone. Neither would the instigators be spared. Chaos will reign, the people will suffer and we will be doomed, as we have seen happen in many strife-torn countries.

Moaz Nair is an FMT reader.