Human relations in multi-religious Malaysia: Debunking the religious myths!

Maszlee Malik PhD
Musa Mohd Nordin FRCPCH
Muslim Professionals Forum (MPF)

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1. Introduction

The recent past has seen a plethora of incidents which threatens to fracture the religious harmony which this nation has thus far enjoyed. The “Cow-Head protest”, in Shah  Alam in August 2009, against a proposed Hindu temple in Section 23, displayed unveiled disrespect and hatred towards our Hindu citizens.  At least three churches in the Klang Valley were torched in early January 2010, by cowardly and utterly senseless act of a group of misguided, chauvinistic, religious bigots. This was later followed by arson attacks against two suraus in Muar in late January 2010. And most recently, on 20 April 2015, we witnessed the mindless act of incitement by 50 residents in Taman Medan over the display of a cross on a newly minted church.

These heinous acts of religious provocations, hatred and violence committed presumably in the name of Islam desecrates the very religion it purports to protect. Religious hegemony and intolerance in a pluralistic society will invariably result in conflict and will only frustrate the claim that Islam is a religion of compassion, peace and freedom.

Islam commands the believers to embrace diversity because it is part of the law of nature (Sunnatullah) that He created.

‘If your Lord so willed, He could have made mankind one people.’ Qur’an 11:118 ……..

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