JULY 5 ― We have reached a point in our national situation where truth and falsehood have traded places. When a person voices his protest against corruption in the government, it is he who becomes the criminal. When people try to build the spirit of muhibbah among the Rakyat, police reports are made against them and they feel compelled to cancel their plans altogether. It is now a crime to do good things.
The initiative of interfaith is something common in Western societies. I have been involved in them for years now and find the experience most enriching.
In the West, obviously the Christians are the ones in the majority. They have the most representation due to the number of denominations and the way these denominations co-operate is astounding.
Despite their majority, they are very magnanimous towards other religions, especially Muslims. I say “especially” because Muslims have the most “special needs”, like serving halal food, no alcohol and prayer spaces. Even so, they are quite accommodated.
This courtesy is sadly not reciprocated by Muslims towards Christians in Malaysia. Even when it is Christians extending gestures of friendship and muhibbah, Muslims end up making police reports against them.
I speak of the buka puasa event organised by the Church of Assumption. According to the piece by Lyana Khairuddin, they took great pains to ensure their Muslim brethren were comfortable. The food was halal, Christian paraphernalia were removed (though I don’t see why they should be... they don’t make me feel uncomfortable at all).
They even provided Muslims with prayer mats and plastic sandals for their ablutions before prayer. The thoughtfulness of it all really moved me.
Yet, their salaam (greeting or gesture of peace) was spat at by some Muslims. A police report was allegedly made against them. As the rumours from social media tells us, apparently it was thought that the Muslims would be fed holy water and they would be converted to Christianity!
This is the same thing that happened to Nor Aisha Bukhari and Lina Joy, apparently. They drank holy water and were converted to Christianity. The absurdity of this claim simply robs me of words. What can one say to such a ludicrous and unintelligent opinion?
Interfaith activities are needed now more than ever. Muslims are not educated about Islam in schools for 11 years. Rather, they are miseducated. They are fed the most folkloric, anachronistic, narrow-minded form of Islam there is.
I can speak of this confidently because I was a product of this system. We were told about the kapirs (colloquial Malay for infidels) and how we must bring them to Islam. Our own Islam is never called into question. How can they be when questions are not tolerated? We may become kapirs ourselves!
I was very fortunate to have encountered my interfaith friends. They have enriched my own human experience. From Christianity, I learnt much about the diverse ways they viewed Jesus. Unlike what we were taught in schools, Christianity has a complex theology enriched by deep theological discussions.
From Hinduism, I learnt about Yoga (which is to make whole, similar to the meaning of muslim, one who makes things whole). Yogic sciences are quite underdeveloped in the Islamic tradition although cross pollination between Hindus and Muslims in India has helped with that.
From the Buddhists, I learnt about the science of the soul. Spiritual psychology, if you will. From the Taoists, I learnt about naturalistic religion and Chi Kung. They developed Chi Kung as a science of using bio-energy for enlightenment.
All these elements can actually help Muslims heighten their own religious experience. For me, I was able to see other levels to the Quranic text and I am very grateful for that.
We must remember that while the Quran is revelation (in our belief), it was interpreted and carried forth by a decidedly human agency. Therefore, what we now know to be Islam is in reality the cultural experience developed by the Arab civilization and their vassal states. This is why Arabian Islam is a lot stricter than the Nusantara versions of Islam (at least back then). Revelation is always interpreted by humans and hence made subjective thereby.
As I am finishing up this piece, the news is finally confirmed. The IGP has stated that indeed the Movida nightclub attack was the first successful Islamic State attack on Malaysia. We have now joined the unfortunate list of countries attacked by the so-called Islamic State.
The people who made the police report against the Church of Assumption are not much different from these terrorists. The ideology is the same (Islamofascism), the motive is the same (supremacy), the presumed enemies are the same (non-Muslims). The only difference is the level of violence and it does not take much to nudge an Islamofascist into the abyss of Jihadism.
We need interfaith activities now more than ever. Only interfaith activities can help us see the humanity present in all religions. Of course there will be opposition to it. But we must never flinch in the face of their threats.
* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
