RECENTLY two incidents happened that once again threatened the increasingly fragile relationship among religious groups in our country.
Last Sunday bigotry reared its ugly head through a protest by about 50 Muslims at Taman Medan in Petaling Jaya against a cross placed on the corner shop front used by a Church for its place of worship.
Then Alvin Tan, the infuriating Malaysian sex-blogger on self-exile in the US, posted a video of himself chanting the Azan bare-bodied to the accompaniment of a keyboard with the obvious intention of insulting Islam.
However, both incidents instead of fanning religious tension, as they were intended to, rallied Malaysians from all religious groups to chide the perpetrators.
Ironically, the protest against the cross on the shop front had also irked many Muslims who felt that some of their fellow believers’ unease over the cross reflected badly on the depth of their faith.
For Sarawakians, it is difficult to fathom that a cross on a shop front could cause uproar among Muslims since churches, mosques and temples have existed side by side in several towns in the state for years without anyone making an issue out of it.
Muslim students have attended Christian schools in Sarawak without any of them converting to Christianity, and Muslims in the state are not perturbed by the presence of crosses on churches near their communities.
The acceptance of the difference in our faiths reflects the strength of the faith of Muslims in Sarawak.
If the motive of the protesters was to fan religious tension in the nation, then they have failed to achieve what they set out to do and for this, the majority of Malaysians deserve a pat on their back.
Similarly Alvin’s despicable attempt to insult Islam with his video has drawn only scorn and even pity on his delusions.
If his idea of posting his chanting of the Azan was to provoke fury among Muslims and draw more notoriety on himself, which he craves, then he has failed miserably.
There was some response to his video, but not the threats of deaths or fierce condemnation which would have elevated him to a champion of freedom of speech.
Instead, he received a firm but gentle public dressing down by a Catholic Deacon Rev Dr Sherman Kuek through an open letter posted on the Internet.
The beautifully-written letter chided Alvin for his churlish attempt to insult not only Islam but all religions since the Azan, like the Christian Latin or Hindu chants, are men’s way of trying to reach for The Divine.
Rev Sherman Kuek went on to state his respect for Muslims and other Malaysians who hold fast to their beliefs and practices.
The deacon rightly pointed out to Alvin that the last thing Malaysia needed now would be another source of division.
Let us hope this message would reach not only Alvin Tan, but also all of us.