We Malaysians still need to do a lot more to mould our pluralistic society into a genuine unity in a diversified nation, in order to bring peace, harmony and prosperity to all citizens…….

Let wisdom and reason prevail
Tuesday August 30, 2011

Let wisdom and reason prevail

Ikim Views

By DR WAN AZHAR WAN AHMAD

Senior Fellow/Director, Centre for the Study of Syariah, Law and Politics

Traditional religious officers must know that apart from revelation, or holy books, they are also bestowed with reason to understand the former. Religion is not complete if one is neglected, or abused.

I HAVE observed the reactions and ensuing repercussions of the recent ‘raid’ by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) on a thanksgiving dinner at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC).

Riddles from this latest incident may turn into waves of hatred that travel beyond racial borders, and thus threaten our unity. This renders futile ongoing painstaking efforts to nurture our national solidarity that began a few decades ago. Result: unity remains shaky and elusive. Like it or not, we have to admit this harsh reality.

Meaning, we Malaysians still need to do a lot more to mould our pluralistic society into a genuine unity in a diversified nation, in order to bring peace, harmony and prosperity to all citizens. We have to strive diligently to make our religious and racial multiplicity a real boon, not a bane.

To further discuss this sensitive issue, I appeal for open mindedness and decorum from all parties involved, both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. This writing is not to add fuel to the fire but to help all dealing with this state of social agitation.

For the ‘raid’, one must not be quick to blame any particular group as both Muslim and non-Muslim groups were equally responsible for the brouhaha, at certain degrees, respectively. The situation betrays the infamous chicken-egg relation, a vicious circle that seems set to continue for many years to come, unless certain radical remedial measures are taken.

Let’s be honest about the whole thing, call a spade a spade. On the one hand, the ‘raiders’ claimed that proselytisation of Muslims was taking place at DUMC. This appears true as it was discovered later, among other things, that (i) 12 Muslims attended the gathering; (ii) a quiz of 12 questions on Islam was found; and (iii) the event’s itinerary included a song entitled Alhamdulillah dan Allahuakbar.

On the other, the ‘victims’ said that it was a thanksgiving party and that the ‘raiders’ were trespassing into their premises and barging in without any warrant of authority. The action was illegal, unconstitutional and against the human rights principle of freedom.

Of course, it is difficult to ascertain which side is actually telling the truth as each is not willing to reveal the full story. One of the means to get a clearer picture of the affair is to wait for the official report by Jais. But, it is expected that many may question the reliability of the report.

Alternatively, we may urge an independent commission to be set up to conduct a fairer investigation. If this takes place, all parties must extend their utmost cooperation and not hide the minutest details of facts and explanation surrounding the ‘raid’.

Once the commission establishes its findings, all must accept the outcome without any suspicion. The party who speaks lesser truth must apologise to the other truer counterpart in particular, and to the whole world in general.

After all, this conflict is primarily championed by religious leaders. They must set good examples to their respective followers, either from the Muslim camp or vice versa. They should not have any hesitation or feel embarrassed to admit their weaknesses, irregularities and mistakes.

I believe that the entire episode also boils down to the lack of understanding of our Constitution, or worse, sheer disregard for it. Article 11(4) of this supreme law of the federation clearly prescribes that “State law … and federal law may control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam”.

We must understand that non-Muslim religious teachings cannot, and must not, be propagated to Muslims. Yet certain quarters are blatant enough to challenge or ignore the provision by having covert missionary works under various seemingly harmless guises.

When caught red-handed, they vehemently deny the secretive or suspicious nature of such activities whereas most, if not all, circumstancial evidence may point otherwise.

On the other side, the ‘raiding’ party must carry out its job properly and wisely as enjoined by its religion. At least it must follow all necessary related laws, procedures, rules and regulations, man-made though. Failure to observe this may backfire at the expense of not only its dignity and integrity, but also the religion it represents. It is too naive for one to overlook this basic wisdom.

What is perplexing is that those who are at the frontline of this ‘clash’ are mostly well-educated and exposed to the discipline of logic and rational thinking.

Their experiences should provide another source of maturity and sobriety. Yet when it comes to this religious quarrel, every one tends to simply defy logic, proper reasoning and equilibrium – i.e. wisdom.

To those more traditional religious officers, they must know that apart from revelation, or holy books, they are also bestowed with reason (aql) to understand the former. They are inseparable to the extent that religion is not complete if one is neglected, or abused.

Therefore, at appropriate times, both reason and revelation must be applied together. In fact, wherever situations permit, and sanctioned by qualified religious scholars, we may depart from the literal interpretations of certain texts.

Obviously, the culprits in the present case are the ignorant, the obstinate, the opportunists and the extremists from both Muslim and non-Muslim sides. They must not be allowed to administer or interfere with religious matters if we are to live in peace and harmony.

I call upon all religious leaders and followers to exercise more wisdom and to properly practise their respective religions with mutual love, respect and sincerity.

Let’s differ in the realm of theology, but we can still work with each other thanks to tremendous parallelism in the field of ethics and morality.

“O God, would you destroy us for the deeds of the foolish ones among us?!”





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