Such is the worrying state of the communal relation in our multi-cultural country that the newly-crowned Perak ruler Sultan Nazrin Shah in his inaugural address following his coronation felt obliged to touch on the sensitive issues of religious and racial tension.
Sultan Nazrin called on Malaysians to respect one another and not cross the limits and boundaries of religion. He reminded Malaysians that being a nation comprising various religions, cultures and customs, building a harmonious existence is a collective effort.
“Muslims and institutions responsible for Islamic affairs must be sensitive to those who profess other faiths. At the same time, non-Muslims must also respect the sensitivities of Muslims . . .”
There is good reason for the Sultan to do that. In the last few months certain people seem to be trying to push us dangerously close to racial conflict by their words and deeds. Some pseudo-academics and organisations have been preaching overt hatred towards other races and religions.
They employ the classic “straw man” technique of creating a distorted picture of the other races and religions imputing that these are a threat to their community. They try to rally their people to respond aggressively to this perceived threat.
Some apologists to these troublemakers said, “Well, it is the freedom of speech and that is just their opinion.” I beg to differ. One may be entitle to one’s opinion but one does not have the freedom to shout “fire” in a crowded cinema.
These may be just words and opinions but they do have impact and influence. Of late I notice many seem to be afflicted by this malaise of intolerance and paranoia. A couple of weeks ago some one asserted that porcine DNA has been detected in a popular brand of chocolate. There was the expected hysterical reaction from some religious zealots, calling for boycott and some even the burning down of the chocolate factory.
What was disappointing for me was that a friend whom I consider to be a levelheaded and reasonable person jumped to the conclusion that this adulteration of his favourite confectionary is the work of the enemy of Islam. He even shared the ridiculous claim that the consumption (even unknowingly) of anything related to the profane animal would weaken his faith.
Anyway it turned out to be false alarm but the worry is why did the authority publicise such a serious allegation without double-checking the test results? It appears they are ready to act based on mere rumours.
As if taking a cue from this, someone in Kuching alleged that the stock of a popular meatball dish in a food court was made from pig bones. The establishment concerned was driven to having to broadcast a video showing the cooking process of their dish to counter this claim. I wonder if the intention of this mischievous character is to damage the business of his competitor.
Of late there was a series of bizarre events involving a religious authority which one person aptly termed the “B” episode. He wrote: “First they take the Bibles of the Christians, next the bride of the Hindus and then the body of the Buddhists. What is the next ‘B’ I wonder.”
He was referring to the seizure of the Malay language bibles that contain the word that these people claimed to be copyrighted exclusively for their use; the apprehending of a bride at a Hindu wedding and then the absolutely mind-boggling affront where dead body was snatched during a funeral rite.
The perpetrators claimed that they carried out these uncivil acts (that’s putting it mildly) to protect the sanctity and the good name of their religion.
This is my puzzlement: Islam is a religion of tolerance and the Divine is worshipped as the merciful, the compassionate, the just and ultimately the almighty. Yet the actions and words of these people who are supposed to represent this great religion display none of those. On the contrary they seem to go against the basic tenets of the religion. The Words of the Almighty need no protection from man. The eternal truth and the profoundness of the teachings should be manifested in the behavior of its followers.
I believe many can see through the apparent piousness of these vociferous and sometime threatening violent people. However, they remained silent for fear of being labeled traitors to their faith.
My fear is that some people, realizing the power of the name of the Almighty, are pointedly using His name to give them dominance of others.
The quest for self-aggrandizement is the frailty of man since the beginning of time. Thus, one of the ten commandments of God is, “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)
Thus, God has spoken, Sultan Nazrin Shahhas alluded to it but our political leaders remain muted in the face of this effrontery. It remains for the wise words and brave action of the Chief Minister of Sarawak Tan Sri Datuk Amar Adenan Satem to give us hope.
The Chief Minister said he believed everyone is a child of God regardless of race and religion, and that God loves everyone irrespective of their faiths.He regards ‘Allah’ or ‘Tuhan’ as the same God of many colours and there is no difference among his people.
“God created us differently, but at the same time we are the same because we believe in the colourful garden. It would be very dull if all the colours were all white.”
Comments can reach the writer via [email protected].