JOHOR BARU, Feb 19 — In a rare message to Malaysian Muslims, the Permaisuri of Johor Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah reminded today the importance of living in harmony with people of other race and religion in the country.
She said In a country made up of citizens of diverse religions and ethnicities, Muslims must remind themselves of their relationship and co-existence with others who do not share the same faith.
“With more effort in educating ourselves through the works and knowledge of Islamic scholars, I sincerely believe we can indeed continue to live peacefully, and it is also from their scholarly knowledge that we can silence the voices which encourage discord and intolerance.
“For the love of our country, and for the sake of Malaysian children and young people, we must, more than ever, make concerted efforts to make sure that we can indeed live peacefully and harmoniously, side-by-side with our fellow Malaysians,” said Raja Zarith.
Her message, posted on the Johor royal family’s official website today entitled “The Quest For Religious Co-Existence”, was based on her views on how religions can exist in peace and solidarity in a multi-racial and multi-faith society like Malaysia.
In her post, she shared excerpts from a religious conference organised by the International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR) and held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia in 2004 on how Muslims could co-exist with peoples of other faiths that was.
Raja Zarith said according to Islam, there are three degrees of social relations among human beings.
They are Ukhuwah Islamiyah on brotherhood between Muslims, Ukhuwah Waltoniyah on the brotherhood between citizens of the same nation even of different religious orientation or different ethnic or tribal groups and Ukhuwah Insaniyah, social relations between all humans, who are the creations of Allah.
“These Islamic principles provide useful guidelines for all of us when we view the difficult question of how to live in harmony in a country with so much religious diversity,” explained Raja Zarith, who is known for her contributions to education and advocating related causes for the betterment of society.
Raja Zarith also reminded Malaysians that they have lived peacefully despite their religious as well as cultural differences.
“There is great importance for us to continue what our ancestors achieved.
“We are truly blessed to live in a country where there is no armed conflict, and so we must make serious, concerted efforts to continue this quest for religious co-existence,” she said, adding that Malaysians must seize every opportunity that comes to exist harmoniously in this shared environment for their common good, irrespective of religious viewpoints.
