Season of goodwill

MIND MATTER
By RAJA ZARITH IDRIS


If Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Isa (Jesus), a prophet respected and revered in Islam, is it so wrong to wish a blessed day for those who celebrate it?

DURING the days before Christmas last year, I wished my friends who were celebrating it “Merry Christmas” in much the same way they would wish me “Selamat Hari Raya” or “Happy Eid”.

I find it rather sad that such a simple greeting – one which I grew up with and which I have never regarded as something that would compromise or de-value my own faith – is now regarded as something so religiously incorrect for us Malaysian Muslims.

When I was at boarding school in England, I had to go to church every Sunday because it was part of the rules. My father advised me to consider it as part of my “education” and he had no doubt that the experience would strengthen rather than weaken my own faith.

I was able to see the similarities and differences between Christianity and Islam. I learned more than the average Malaysian Muslim would about Christianity. I learnt that just as we Muslims categorise ourselves according to the four different schools of thoughts of the four Imams (Imam Malik, Imam Al Shafi, Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Ahmad Abn Hambal) and are either Sunnis or Shias, so Christians too are divided into different sects or churches.

Going to church did not make me less of a Muslim when I was a young girl, and neither does saying “Merry Christmas” make me less of a Muslim now. My faith has not been shaken just because I wished some friends a time of joy with their families. Neither will I suddenly suffer from amnesia and forget what my religion is.

What I do not wish to forget, however, is that there are good, kind people who are not of the same faith as me.

As Harun Yahya, the Turkish writer (he was selected last year as one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre of Jordan) noted: “Islam is a religion of peace, love and tolerance.

Today, however, some circles have been presenting a false image of Islam, as if there were conflict between Islam and the adherents of the two other monotheistic religions. Yet Islam’s view of Jews and Christians, who are named ‘the People of the Book’ in the Quran, is very friendly and tolerant.

“This attitude towards the People of the Book developed during the years of the birth of Islam. At that time, Muslims were a minority, struggling to protect their faith and suffering oppression and torture from the pagans of the city of Mecca. Due to this persecution, some Muslims decided to flee Mecca and shelter in a safe country with a just ruler. The Prophet Muhammad told them to take refuge with King Negus, the Christian king of Ethiopia. The Muslims who followed this advice found a very fair administration that embraced them with love and respect when they went to Ethiopia. King Negus refused the demands of the pagan messengers who asked him to surrender the Muslims to them, and announced that Muslims could live freely in his country.

“Such attitudes of Christian people that are based on the concepts of compassion, mercy, modesty and justice, constitute a fact that God has pointed out in the Quran.”

I do not wish to be a self-centred Muslim who expects friends of other faiths to wish me Selamat Hari Raya or, for those who are not Malaysians and therefore do not know about Hari Raya, a Happy Eid and yet do not return their goodwill when it is Christmas, Chinese New Year, Deepavali or Vesak Day.

Every year, friends who are Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs or those without any faith come to our home to celebrate Hari Raya with us. They do so with sincerity and as a mark of respect for one of the most important days in the Muslim calendar. Why should we not reciprocate their kindness, show them the same mark of respect for their religion and wish them the same joy on their holy days of celebration?

An Islamic scholar and lecturer also reminded me that as Muslims we must remember the importance of both the five Pillars of Islam and in the six Pillars of Iman (Faith), which are:

> Belief in Allah;

> Belief in the angels;

> Belief in the revealed Books (which include the Bible, the Torah and the Holy Quran);

> Belief in the Prophets (May Peace be Upon Them);

> Belief in the Resurrection and the events of Kiamah, the Day of Judgement; and

> Belief in the predestination (Qada’ and Qadar) by Allah in all things.

The prophets include not just Muhammad (May Peace Be Upon Him) as the last prophet and as the Messenger of Islam, but also in the 24 earlier ones who are mentioned in both the Bible and the Quran. Four of them are Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), Daud (David), and Isa (Jesus).

So, if Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Isa (Jesus), a prophet respected and revered in Islam, is it so wrong to wish a blessed day for those who celebrate it?

We are now in the second decade of the 21st century. Surely, we should, now more than ever, be far more enlightened at a time when information of any sort and of all kinds are so readily available to us.

What is most important is that we regard one another as fellow citizens and treat each other with respect, regardless of our race or religion.

> The writer is Royal Fellow, School of Language Studies and Linguistics, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), and holds a BA (Honours) degree in Chinese Studies, University of Oxford.


Season of goodwill

Himpunan sejuta umat hanya tarik 5,000 peserta

Sebelum ini penganjur dakwa dapat sokongan 2,000 NGO dengan keanggotaan mencecah 4 juta orang


SHAH ALAM: Himpunan Sejuta Umat (Himpun) di Stadium Shah Alam, semalam, terpaksa dimulakan lewat 90 minit dengan jumlah kehadiran hanya sekitar 5,000 peserta - jauh lebih rendah daripada sasaran penganjur seramai 100,000.


Kempen yang mendapat liputan meluas bagi membincangkan isu murtad di kalangan masyarakat Islam di Malaysia itu hanya dimulakan pada 3.40 petang ekoran sambutan dan penyertaan yang dingin, lapor laman berita The Malaysian Insider, semalam.


Acara perhimpunan tersebut dimulakan dengan lagu-lagu nasyid untuk menghiburkan para hadirin, tetapi kemudian terganggu seketika oleh satu pengumuman yang mengecam senaskah buku kecil bertajuk, Siapa Bertanggungjawab Kristiankan Melayu di Selangor?.


Sekretariat Himpun sebelum ini berkata, mereka meletakkan sasaran kehadiran lebih 100,000 peserta kerana mendakwa mendapat sokongan sekitar 2,000 pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO) yang mewakili sekitar empat juta anggota dan penyokong.


Namun, jumlah kehadiran pada hari perhimpunan itu mengecewakan dan jauh lebih rendah berbanding dengan perhimpunan Gabungan bagi Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil (Bersih) 2.0, pada Julai lalu, yang mahukan pembaharuan dalam proses pilihan raya.


Para penceramah Himpun, bagaimanapun, tetap menunjukkan sikap bersatu mereka dalam usaha gerakan itu menentang apa yang disifatkannya sebagai 'ketidakadilan' terhadap Islam di kalangan para penganut agama lain di negara itu.


'Kita harap dapat suntik keberanian dalam diri kita, semuanya akan gerakkan perubahan dari segi undang-undang, dasar dan sikap, terutamanya di kalangan mereka yang berkeras ingin murtadkan umat Islam, sedangkan ia satu kesalahan untuk sebar agama lain kepada orang Islam,' kata pengerusi bersama Himpun, Dr Mohd Yusri Mohamad, yang dipetik dalam laporan laman berita Malaysiakini.


Berucap seterusnya ialah Encik Farhan Abdullah, seorang pendakwah dari Sabah, yang mahukan perlembagaan persekutuan dipinda untuk menyekat kejadian murtad.


Beliau berkata, Perkara 11 dalam perlembagaan itu menyatakan bahawa terdapat kebebasan beragama untuk semua warga negara yang berumur 18 tahun ke atas.


Bagaimanapun, Encik Farhan menggesa para ahli parlimen (AP) Dewan Rakyat untuk meminda perlembagaan itu bagi menambahkan satu peruntukan bahawa 'kebebasan agama hanya untuk orang bukan Islam'.


'Tidak ada kebebasan (untuk menukar agama) untuk orang Islam,' tegasnya, tanpa mengulas lanjut tentang bagaimana usaha memurtadkan orang Islam berlaku di Malaysia.


Selanjutnya, bekas timbalan naib canselor Universiti Teknololgi Mara (UiTM), Datuk Ibrahim Abu Shah, pula membangkitkan kegiatan Kristian militan yang didakwa mempunyai 13 orang mubaligh di Malaysia, Indonesia dan Filipina dengan matlamat memurtadkan orang Islam.

Berita Harian Online | Isu kaum sering halang bentuk Malaysia harmoni

Oleh Imlan Adabi

2011/08/22

SEORANG doktor perubatan yang kembali bertugas di negara ini merungut; “Saya dikenali sebagai rakyat Malaysia ketika berada di luar negara. Saya bangga dengan sebutan itu kerana saya lahir dan dibesarkan di Malaysia. Hanya apabila tamat belajar di luar negara, saya berkhidmat di sana kerana Malaysia menghadapi masalah ekonomi ekoran spekulasi mata wang pada 1998.

“Jiwa saya tetap Malaysia di perantauan. Saya menyokong Datuk Lee Chong Wei dan Datuk Nicol David ketika mereka beraksi di kota penghijrahan. Saya tidak segan silu mengarak Jalur Gemilang kerana menyokong atlit sukan dari Malaysia.

“Kini saya kembali ke Malaysia dan bertugas di sebuah klinik. Malangnya saya tetap dianggap sebagai orang luar. Inilah dilema saya. Dianggap sebagai rakyat Malaysia di luar negara, tetapi rasa diketepikan di tanah kelahiran sendiri.”

Suara kesal doktor berusia 40 tahun itu bukan cerita lama. Ia berulang kali berlaku apabila membabitkan isu kaum dan semangat patriotik. Jurang kaum masih menebal dan kita tidak tahu siapakah yang sepatutnya meredakan keadaan selaras konsep 1Malaysia.

Hari ini menjelang 54 tahun mencapai kemerdekaan, Malaysia masih lagi berada di ambang isu kaum yang saling berentetan. Kajian sebuah badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) mendapati jurang kaum semakin menebal selepas Pilihan Raya Umum 2008. Pelbagai isu dipolitikkan dan dikaitkan dengan sentimen perkauman walaupun pada asasnya kehidupan ini bukan semata-mata membabitkan isu ras, etnik, agama dan cara hidup.

Orang politik sering membuat jenaka kononnya Malaysia sebuah negara bangsa. Mereka menyebut bangsa Malaysia. Kita hairan bagaimana bangsa Malaysia boleh disebut sedangkan dalam kalangan kita ada Melayu, India dan Cina serta pelbagai etnik lain lagi. Selama 54 tahun Malaysia berusaha membina persamaan dan persefahaman, tetapi amat mustahil untuk mewujudkan sebuah negara bangsa kerana kepelbagaian yang ada. Keadaan di Malaysia seperti juga di Amerika Syarikat, Kanada, Australia dan Singapura yang tidak mungkin melahirkan negara bangsa kerana keragaman kaum, agama dan cara hidup. Kita berbeza dengan Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos dan Kemboja kerana kewujudan bangsa teras. Negara itu hanya mengutamakan sebuah bahasa pengantar di sekolah dan perlembagaan negara serta tidak membiarkan kelainan etnik menimbulkan jurang kaum yang tinggi.

Berbeza dengan Malaysia yang bukan saja bahasa rasminya boleh dipertikai nilai ekonomi dan sosial, malah ada dalam kalangan Melayu sendiri yang merendahkan bahasa ibunda untuk subjek Sains dan Matematik di sekolah. Aneh sekali apabila sebuah negara yang 54 tahun merdeka tidak mahu mengiktiraf kepentingan lingua franca yang jutaan tahun diguna pakai di perairan Nusantara.
Isu kaum dan agama sering merumitkan. Perasaan saling curiga hatta membabitkan hal remeh dipolitikkan. Sepanjang tempoh merdeka, kita saling bergeser isu agama walaupun ada pihak yang cuba mewaraskan keadaan. Kita bimbang isu Melayu di gereja dan penggunaan nama Allah oleh penganut Kristian bakal menjadi api yang merebak tanpa melihat kepada persekitaran sebenar.

Seperti telahan doktor yang berasakan dirinya ‘rakyat asing’ di negara sendiri, kita terlalu banyak berpolitik dan menjadikan isu kaum sebagai halangan untuk membentuk Malaysia yang harmoni. Ketika kaum Melayu berasakan sudah terlalu banyak memberi kepada pihak lain, kaum Cina dan India pula masih menuduh kerajaan berat sebelah dan menyisih mereka dalam pelbagai sektor pembangunan dan prasarana ekonomi.

Selagi perasaan ini muncul, isu kaum seperti yang dikaji selidik Merdeka Centre tidak akan mudah berakhir. Apa saja cetusan bakal memberi riak yang berbeza. Lebih parah apabila setiap isu yang timbul, diledakkan pula oleh orang politik yang akhirnya menambahkan lagi jurang perbezaan dalam kalangan kita.

Berita Harian Online | Isu kaum sering halang bentuk Malaysia harmoni

Hanya 'Pure Creamery Butter-Golden Churn' Keluaran New Zealand Tidak Halal - JAKIM

 KUALA LUMPUR, 19 Ogos (Bernama) -- Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM) memutuskan hanya mentega jenama 'Pure Creamery Butter - Golden Churn Butter' keluaran syarikat Ballantyne Food Pty (New Zealand) tidak halal.

Ketua Pengarahnya, Othman Mustapha berkata keputusan itu dibuat hasil perbincangan JAKIM dengan Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri, Koperasi dan Kepenggunaan, Jabatan Kimia Malaysia, Bahagian Keselamatan dan Kualiti Makanan, Kementerian Kesihatan, Jabatan Agama Islam Sarawak serta Jabatan Agama Islam Johor pada 8 Ogos lepas.

Sehubungan itu, JAKIM menegur media yang menyiarkan maklumat atau memaparkan gambar produk selain keluaran syarikat beralamat di Allen Street Morrinsville 3340, New Zealand berkenaan, katanya dalam kenyataan Jumaat.

Pada 19 Julai lepas, Jabatan Agama Islam Sarawak mengisytiharkan produk itu, yang digunakan segelintir pengusaha kek lapis, sebagai tidak halal kerana dikesan mengandungi DNA babi, menyebabkan industri makanan berkenaan terjejas.

-- BERNAMA

It’s all in the Constitution

Nation building is a daunting task because it depends on a desire for moderation, a belief that all humans are equal, the practice of inclusivity and a huge dose of common sense. But the guidelines are all there.
MUCH care went into the creation of a promising new country called Malaya in 1957 and then Malaysia in 1963.
Nation building and the setting up of democratic institutions were then entrusted to those governing the country, especially after the May1969 riots.
But nation building is not something to be left in the hands of a few regardless of their political philosophy.

Compromise and compassion: Some of the participants at the closed-door discussion on ‘Fostering the Spirit of Moderation in Nation Building’ at Universiti Malaya’s Law Faculty on June 21. Among them are the speakers (far left) Dr Shad, Muhammad Shafee (fifth from left) and Dr Koh (on the left of the Proham banner).

Since 1969, the largely race-based political parties have tried to keep their hold by instilling distrust with their chants, “this is our land don't trust them or give them a chance or they'll take everything from us” or “they're lazy, they want everything but don't want to work for it like the rest of us.”

But each of us is just as guilty. Every time we allow one person in local or federal authority to get away with a bigoted act or words or gender/religious discrimination, we pave the way for such actions and thoughts to be institutionalised.

For example, Article 153 of the Constitution allows for the establishment of quotas for entry into the civil service but before long, they came into play even during promotions.

Dark clouds have been looming over the past two decades, said UiTM Emeritus Professor of Law Dr Shad Faruqi.

They have manifested as problems in either planning permission for places of worship or their forced relocation, disputes over the child in a non-Muslim marriage where one party converts to Islam, the ban (now lifted) on Malay Bibles, the use of Allah by Christians, apostasy and the Islamic state.

Others relate to the “overzealous enforcement of Article 153 quotas, acts of incitement to religious and racial hatred in public speeches and Internet discussions”, said Dr Shad at a recent closed-door discussion themed “Fostering the Spirit of Moderation in Nation Building”.

Held at Universiti Malaya's Law Faculty, it was organised by Proham, a non-governmental body comprising former commissioners of Suhakam and the Royal Commission on the Police.

Other speakers were Asean Human Rights Commissioner Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon who oversees National Unity and Performance Management.

Fostering moderation in nation building is a daunting task because it depends on a desire for moderation, a belief that all humans are equal, the practice of inclusivity and a huge dose of common sense.

But the guidelines are all there in the Constitution, which Dr Shad calls a “masterpiece of compromise and compassion”.

Shafee described the constitutional definition of Malay as one such compromise.

Noting only the Jews and Malays linked ethnicity to religion, he said the definition here linked also to Malay traditions and culture and language was a compromise.

“It is a fantastic formula that included the Arabs, Indian Muslims and Indonesians spread throughout the states,” Shafee said.

Understand the Constitution

It's crucial for us now to study the history of our land, learn our rights and responsibilities as citizens and know that moderation is the bedrock of our Constitution, and to counter those who say otherwise.

“(Datuk) Ibrahim Ali (Perkasa president) says the Government can't help non-Malays. I don't know which Federal Constitution he is reading,” said Dr Shad.

“Instigators rely on ignorance. We need to use the Constitution to rebut the false and dangerous interpretations we hear.”

There is no better guide than the nine “Rakyat Guides” distributed by the Bar Council's Constitutional Law Committee's during its two-year MyConsti campaign.

Launched on Sept 13, 2009, by deputy minister in the PM's Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong, the RG's explanation in simple layman's terms are clearly effective because they drew the attention of those who would rather the public remain in the dark.

Can early education in the Constitution lead to moderation?

Maybe, if we learnt as children that the Constitution guarantees equality before the law for all. There would be no need to feel marginalised because we are different, or have the desire to discriminate against someone who is different. Then, if we saw people being marginalised or discriminated against, we would have the courage to stand up for them.

But Dr Shad felt the Government was not keen on this. He had tried to help Suhakam draw up a syllabus for schools some years ago.

He was told there was “no need” for it because pupils “did it in Civics”, which was a fallacy because Muslim students attend religious classes during civics/moral studies.

There's some discussion of the Constitution in Pengajian Am (General Paper) in Form Six but a 20-something-year-old I asked could only remember Article 153. The fact that Articles 5 (equality) and 11 (freedom of religion) are a vague memory speaks volumes for what she learnt at school.

Touching on the 5% to 15% housing discount for bumiputras, Bar Council Human Rights Committee chairman Andrew Khoo noted: “If a well-off Malay takes up a 7% discount for a RM600,000 new house, he is taking away RM42,000 the equivalent of a low cost house.”

“All that must be in the new version of the Constitution,” was Dr Shad's pithy response.

Can moderation in nation building result in the simultaneous exercise of one's fundamental rights peaceably and respect of others?

Dr Koh saw for himself how difficult it was to manage national unity when he was caught in the riots in Washington DC in 1968 after the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King.

He reckons Malaysia should consider reviving the Vision School concept that was mooted 10 years ago but had been rejected by the Chinese community.

“The issues we face today cut across ethnic/religious divide. If we can overcome them, we have a greater chance of getting rid of bigotry,” he said.

Khoo pointed out that while Najib spoke of a global movement of moderates overseas, there was no action locally.

“There is no dialogue, just diatribe. If the moderates are silenced, we are just leaving more space for the extremists.”

Dr Koh stressed, however, that the “existence of some deviants” did not invalidate the 1Malaysia concept.

Naming the Constitution, Rukunegara and Vision 2020 as his preferred building blocks for moderation in nation building, Dr Koh said that under 1Malaysia, more Chinese and Indians had been recruited into the civil service and promoted.

“Six out of 28 KSUs (secretaries-general) now are non-Malays, despite threats from those like Ibrahim Ali.”

Set standards for moderation

The usual targets for public criticism are policymakers, the legislature and schools, but Shafee feels the judiciary should bear some responsibility too.

“They might have contributed to the disunity today by their decisions in cases involving religion, inter-racial matters and conversion. They have not been courageous enough to make a stand on the law.”

Shafee challenged the courts' interpretation of Article 121(1A) in recent cases, saying they couldn't decide on a matter if it was a jurisdiction of the syariah court.

Citing several older cases where the courts had done so even though one party was non-Muslim, he said they should read Article 121(1A) to mean cases exclusive to Muslims.

In re Moorthy, he said, the civil court could have heard the suit by the Everest climber's widow challenging his conversion to Islam and then reach the same decision as the syariah court that Moorthy was Muslim, so he should be buried as one and the larger population would have accepted it.

Malaysian Gurdwaras Council president Harcharan Singh suggested that “someone has to tell them (the judiciary) differently to focus on justice and not political leaders.”

Lawyer Edwin Rajasooria agreed, saying the judiciary should set standards for moderation. But he felt the media should also be responsible.

Unsubstantiated reports in the traditional media and some blogs recently have shown the damage they can cause. If any media is publishing rubbish, the public should turn its back on it. Media freedom and media responsibility go in tandem.

Proham secretary Datuk Michael Yeoh stressed that moderation was not an option but an imperative.

Apart from reconsidering the proposal for an Equal Opportunities Commission, he said, the best way forward was to support the proposed National Human Rights Action Plan.

Shafee's personal story shows we can live together with compromise and compassion (key components for moderation), and that we just have to build from them and ignore the racists.

In 1981, his fiancee Wai Lan, a fellow lawyer, died in an accident two days before she was to officially convert and two weeks before the wedding. She had already been practising to live according to Islam and the kalimah syahadah (declaration of faith) before him and his mother.

“To me, she was a Muslim although she had not been converted officially and I naturally wanted her buried as a Muslim,” Shafee said.

Realising the possible complications, he quickly had her body cleansed according to Islamic ritual at the hospital.

“I called my former Islamic law professor (the late Tan Sri Dr) Ahmad Ibrahim. He told me, The dead remains in the domain of the dead; how kindly we treat the dead is only comfort for the living. If you insist, you may end up breaking relations with her family whom you cherish.'”

In the end, Wai Lan was buried at the cemetery in Sg Besi.

A harmonious arrangement was reached because both sides acted with compassion and sensitivity to the others' feelings.