Allah or other name, let us not blanket ourselves with religious bigotry

The attacks on churches in Klang Valley are indeed despicable and an act of cowardice. The government must take every possible action to bring the perpetrators to justice and to ensure that the safety of Christians are given the utmost importance. I have just returned from class and discussed the Allah issue with my students. Of course, there were disagreements towards whether the Christians should be allowed to use the word or not. The disagreements were primarily theological and historical but I do not want to argue about either one of them here in this blog. Despite the disagreements, we hastened to believe that there is hope for Malaysia to become a model for inter-religious and inter-racial harmony if the issue is tackled justly, taking into consideration the interest of the country as a whole. The government must do what is RIGHT for the country and not being influenced by a few people who have the agenda to undermine the country's religious tolerance. Personally, I am shocked to learn that such attacks have happened in Malaysia that claims itself to be a "model" Islamic country. I received a message from a friend telling me about the attacks. At first, I did not believe that such thing would happen in Malaysia especially after the government has given the assurance that it would make sure no untoward incidences would happen while waiting for the court to make its decision on the Allah issue.

If the government wants to maintain Malaysia's image as a "model" Islamic country and to ensure a continued peace and stability, it has to do the following actions--and they must be done immediately.

First, the government has to consider establishing a National Religious Council to advise it on matters related to religion. So far, the government has only one religious adviser with a ministerial portfolio in the Prime Minister's Department. The government must accept the fact that Malaysia is also home to numerous religious adherents who want their rights to be protected. Having a permanent National Religious Council will ensure that issues related to religious sensitivity are dealt with rationally and justly. This Religious Council should act not only as an advisory body but as the highest decision-making entity to oversee religious affairs in the country. As I wrote before in this blog, membership in the Council has to reflect Malaysia's diverse religious communities. We can call the Council 1Malaysia National Religious Council. Again, as I suggested in my earlier posting, the head of the Council has to be rotated among the main religious leaders in Malaysia.

Second, the government must initiate a regular inter-religious dialogue among religious leaders in the country. This inter-religious dialogue must serve as a platform for the religious leaders to find a common ground and to determine universal religious values that are acceptable to all Malaysians. If Muslims, Christians and other religious adherents share a common ground and promote the same universal religious values, I believe any issue related to religion can be dealt with easily.

Third, the government must not practice double standard in addressing religious issues. Even though Islam is clearly stated as the official religion in the country, the government must CONVINCE Malaysians that it is also a government that champions the religious freedom of others. It is indeed time for Najib to prove that his 1Malaysia concept is not just a political rhetoric but a workable slogan that can be translated into real actions for the benefits of all Malaysians.

For all Malaysians, we can play our part in preserving the religious harmony in our country. We do not have to go to the streets to demonstrate, to throw Molotov cocktails to intimidate others, to write inflammable comments to incite fear and anger, or to resort to all kinds of actions that do not help to calm the tension among Malaysians.

I call on all Malaysians to view this issue seriously and to speak up in defense of religious freedom in Malaysia. I know for sure that a lot of Malaysians out there are concerned about what is happening but have chosen to be in the silent minority. I call these people the "progressives" and "moderates". I sincerely believe that Malaysia's hope now lies in the action of these people who want to see the country to move forward and who regard the Allah issue as "petty". Our real concern should be how to develop the economy, how to produce university students of high quality, how to reduce the incidence of poverty, how to achieve the so-called Vision 2020, and other numerous challenges that will determine Malaysia's success in the international arena. Seeing the whole episode of the Kartika incidence and now the Allah issue, I can only conclude that unless there is a drastic change in Malaysia, it will never achieve its dream of becoming a developed country in 2020. A developed country will not allow its citizens to spend much of their quality time to argue endlessly about religion. So, really, the choice is in our hands.