Sarawak has once again shown the rest of the nation the real meaning of religious tolerance and racial harmony through the handling of a temple in Kuching which places the Quran and Muslim prayer mat and play the recitation of Islamic verses in its premises.
This situation could easily spark off religious discord with extremists viewing it as an insult to Islam and demanding the seizure of the Quran and other items related to the religion.
Lesser issues than the placement of the Quran in a Chinese temple could even spark off a riot in some countries plagued by bigotry and religious extremism.
However, Jabatan Agama Islam Sarawak (JAIS) the state’s Islamic affairs department has wisely chosen to advise the owners of the temple to remove the Quran from the altar of a Malay deity in the temple and stop playing the recitation of Islamic prayers as part of its worship ritual of the deity instead of raiding the temple and forcibly remove the Quran and CDs of the prayers.
Assistant Minister in charge of Islamic Affairs Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman even advised JAIS officials not be harsh in their dialogue with the temple caretakers.
While some may condemn this ‘soft’ approach by JAIS as a sign of weakness, lack of faith and incompetence, it is actually proof of the strength and maturity of the department.
JAIS is rational enough to recognise that placement of the Quran, prayer mat and the playing of Islamic prayers in the temple is not an attempt by the worshippers at the temple to belittle Islam.
In fact although it is an affront to Muslims, the incorporation of Islam in the worship of the Malay deity in the temple is a manifestation of the acceptance of Islam by the worshippers and racial tolerance among them.
Those not familiar with traditional Chinese worship may find it strange that a Muslim holy man could be revered as a deity in a temple.
It has to be understood that Chinese traditional or ancestral worship is not a religion – it has no dogma or scripture although basically it is based on the universal belief of reward in the next world for good deeds done in this life.
It is because of this belief that some people who had achieved greatness or had done good deeds were elevated to the status of a saint or deity after their death.
They are role models for the people to follow and are believed to have powers to grant favours to those who worship them.
The Chinese being a pragmatic people have no qualms about accepting people from other races as saints or deity.
When the Chinese first migrated to Sarawak or to any foreign land the first thing they did was to build a temple to seek protection and blessings from their gods and deities in their new home.
Some temples were dedicated to a single deity or saint but most have several deities and gods.
While most of the deities were brought over from China, the early Chinese believed that it is important to honour local deities as well to establish a local spiritual link.
For the Chinese in Sarawak the Datuk Kong – the deity that is worshipped at the temple was Malay (hence Muslim) man whose deeds or holiness elevated him to the status of a saint.
Not much is known about the origin, some writers traced him to be a holy man from Landeh but it is likely that he is a symbolic local spiritual representative.
Those who venture into forest and mountains pray to Datuk Kong for protection as he is the spiritual master of the area.
Usually the shrine is placed outdoor, never in the temple building itself since he is supposed to be the deity of the wilderness and offerings made to him are strictly halal
The Quran and the recital of verses from the Holy Book at his altar is a way of honouring and worshipping him rather than a syncretism of Islam.
It is therefore commendable that JAIS chose to hold a dialogue with the temple caretakers to advise them that it is inappropriate to incorporate elements of Islam in their worship rather than seizing the Quran from them.
It is better to seek understanding than to be confrontational in resolving the issue.
Kudos to JAIS – its approach is a breath of fresh air in the face of winds of bigotry and racial intolerance blowing from the peninsula.