Plural Malaysia is far more mature than many countries when it comes to international interfaith dialogue, according to the head of a Kuala Lumpur-based government Islamic think-tank.

Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (Ikim) director-general Dr Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas (right) attributed the maturity of Malaysian society to its multi-cultural and multi-racial composition.

"This is why it's important to discuss the worldview instead of the fundamentals of different religions, because we have all agreed to disagree on it for over 2,500 years," he told about 300 people at a forum on 'Harmony In Diversity: The Role of Religion' in Klang yesterday.

"What we are searching for are common fundamental values. We are looking for similarities on which we can work for the common good."

Where other faiths totally reject killing, he said Islam legally permits it in two instances - as penalty for murder and for "committing mischief in the land", explaining the latter as actions that cause tyranny and injustice.

"Capital punishment is allowed but not by just anyone and for any reason. It's not possible to pick up the Qur'an and infer (the) meaning."

True jihad

Criticising the civil and Syariah courts over recent conflicts in interpretation, Syed Ali said they were "busy with methodology (so much so) that the justice system is flawed".

"For example, in (deceased former army commando M) Moorthy's case, it was unjust for the religious officials to just grab (his) body without giving the family a chance to say anything.

"We're also preoccupied with khalwat when there are bigger issues to handle," he said, chiding the religious authorities for paying too much attention to small issues and neglecting others.

He said in Islam, the suppression or struggle against succumbing to greed, envy and hatred is the true jihad.

For example, nuclear threat is not imminent but environmental degradation is very real. And continuous destruction of the environment has a greater implication than the recent petrol price hike, which he described as insignificant.

"These are shared values that everyone should discuss and act on," he said, adding that interfaith dialogue was not just about religion but about matters that have a huge political impact.

Key to understanding

During the forum, representatives of Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Baha'i, Sikhism and Hinduism were asked to present their respective viewpoints on respect for life, ways to overcome religious and racial tensions, and the need for and best method of holding dialogues.

Retired civil servant Paguman Singh, the voice for Sikhism, said he believes that interfaith action can bring people together.

"Why can't people visit and admire beautiful architecture in mosques, churches, temples, synagogues and other places of worship? Why can't we get everyone to help paint a mosque, church, temple or gurdhwara?

"These are actions that will give true meaning to interfaith dialogues."

Ho Yuet Mee of the Peninsular Malaysia Baha'i National Spiritual Assembly said formal education is the key to greater and better mutual understanding of world religions.

"Peace studies and subjects such as cultures, moral values and social justice should form part of the school syllabus.

"We must tell our children that peace is achievable especially at a time when all they see is destruction. Dialogues should also focus on finding the spiritual solutions to social ills."

Syed Ali agreed that education would prevent prejudices and stressed the importance of definitions based on the respective faiths.

"Poverty and education are the root causes of these problems because an intellectually vacant person will accept anything without understanding or taking responsibility for it.

"This is why there is a need to define notions such as democracy, justice, responsibility, human rights, human dignity, tolerance, equality and others," he said, adding that many of these are entrenched Western ideas.

Paguman said the hijacking of ideas has led to misinformation and that "someone" must be responsible for causing misunderstanding between followers of different religions.

"Misinformation is still going on and we must stop this process. We need to educate people on the values within their own religion because today's leaders are divisive. Where there is ignorance, there is darkness."

End proselytisation

From the Hindu perspective, Dr K Dharmaratnam said interfaith dialogues should be lively, frequent and systematic, without touching on sensitive issues or cricitising others.

"For instance, proselytisation should be ended or kept low-key. It should be left to the individual's own interest," he said, adding that mutual respect is important to attain peace.

Fr Lawrence Andrew of St Francis Xavier Church asked for forgiveness if proselytisation has been carried out in the wrong way in the past.

"Forgiveness is the bridge to interfaith understanding. Christians must see God in the other and embrace peace and forgiveness. We should educate our children on this to prevent and avoid misunderstanding."

Prof Dr Christopher Boey, who spoke for Buddhism, said he would not be surprised to find Jesus Christ, Prophet Muhammad and the other religious figures sitting together as best friends.

"What matters most is behaviour, not dogmatic differences or theories, which is why we should understand the lives of the prophets and religious leaders."

Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAF) representative Peter Schier, the session moderator, noted that the interfaith panel discussion was made more meaningful by Ikim's first-time participation.

He said there was "a vast ignorance" among followers of, and within various faiths about their own beliefs.

"It is important to know the meaning of certain common words before using them as they may mean different things to different people, attached with negative and positive connotations."

This was illustrated earlier by the different views given by Syed Ali and Dharmaratnam who disagreed on the meaning of the words 'tolerance' and 'acceptance'.

Dharmaratnam said the oneness of religion must be accepted because God was one and based on that, there should be acceptance and "not a mere tolerance" among the different faiths.

"One should not condemn or criticise other religions but try to understand the differences. 'Tolerance' is a negative word, unlike 'acceptance' which is positive."

Syed Ali, however, argued that tolerance in Islam has always been a positive word which means "forgiveness, magnanimity and eminence" and that there was nothing to change.

The forum was held in conjunction with the 'World Religions-Universal Peace-Global Ethic Exhibition & Golden Rule: Arabic-Chinese Calligraphy Exhibition' co-organised by the Soka Gakkai Malaysia (Selangor branch), KAF and Malaysian Interfaith Network.

Since being shown at the United Nations headquarters in New York, it travelled to Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and the UK before arriving in Kuala Lumpur in 2003.

Deputy Information Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi launched the exhibition which displays 133 exhibits in Bahasa Malaysia, English and Chinese.

The winning artworks of Malaysia's 1st Arabic & Chinese Calligraphy Competition on the Golden Rule 'Treat Others As You Would Like To Be Treated' held in late 2004 at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia are also on display.

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