Inter-faith understanding a powerful force for change

By SUZALIE MOHAMAD,
Fellow, Centre of Syariah, Law and Political Science, IKIM

Globalisation is considered by many to be the way forward, but it should not to be made a vehicle to impose the cultural values of one country over another.

In the light of the present political and economic scenarios, a step forward towards fostering a better relationship between Europe and Asia through the bridging of differences between the two continents needs to be initiated.

By virtue of Asia becoming an emerging market of the world, a better understanding of its cultures is vital for a more meaningful and fruitful cultural and economic association in the future.

In The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, Samuel P. Huntington asserted three important issues that divided the West and other societies:

> the West seeks to maintain its military superiority of weapons;

> it promotes western political values and institutions by pressing other societies to adopt human rights and democracy along western lines; and,

> it seeks to protect the cultural, social and ethnic integrity of Western societies.

We believe Asia and Europe need to embark on mutual understanding, to work on smart partnerships, which are not based on dominance and prejudices.

Before we proceed, the term “unity in diversity” itself needs to be defined.

In my humble opinion, “unity in diversity” should be defined as “the ability to live and interact peacefully and harmoniously without any prior presumptions and prejudices about people of different cultural and religious backgrounds”.

The principle of unity in diversity, should be understood in a wider perspective to include inter-related issues of global peace and socio-economic equality.

To a certain extent, the socio-economic development of a country is hampered by the absence of peace and political stability. Human capital, energy and financial resources are diverted to unproductive purposes.

We must agree that we cannot expect people to understand “unity in diversity” if they live in an environment of conflict, and if they are hungry.

Therefore, it is pertinent that the prolonged conflict between Israel and Palestine, in Kashmir, and in the rest of the troubled areas in the world must be stopped immediately.

Political will and non-partisan support with regard to the issues surrounding these conflict areas are necessary to bring peace.

As the world moves towards a global society, the less-developed nations should not be forgotten. They must be guided to participate in mainstream development.

It is the responsibility of all to ensure that the populations of these countries are given the opportunity to free themselves from poverty. Only through the eradication of the socio-economic conditions in these countries can problems like terrorism be solved.

In the 21st century, globalisation is considered by many to be the way forward, to foster fairer cross-border trades.

Despite the advantages, many countries, especially those less developed, are concerned with the potential adverse effects of globalisation on their local cultures and values.

It is important to emphasise that globalisation should not to be made a vehicle to impose the cultural values of one country over another.

Diversity in culture allows diversity in the ways people do things. The rest of the world, especially the more-developed nations, must avoid forcing others to adopt their system of government and should not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.

Global peace can also be pursued through inter-faith understanding and tolerance. Along this line, two issues need to be addressed.

One, religions must be understood without prior prejudice. Two, religions cannot and must not be associated with injustice, tyranny and oppression.

Interfaith understanding and tolerance may be achieved through several ways.

Firstly, through education, which – at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels – must be effectively constructed to propagate the values promoted by religion. The education system must also provide an environment and the opportunity for children of different cultural and religious backgrounds, from early ages, to interact and communicate with each other.

There is also a need to regulate and standardise religious schools. There should be no separation between religion and state. The terms “secular” and “secularism” do not exist in Islam.

Secondly, through interfaith dialogue, which should be used to effectively promote religious values.

Thirdly, through a greater role from the media, which is vital in bridging cultural differences between Asia and Europe. Negative and sensationalised reports are damaging efforts to promote cultural and religious understanding and tolerance.

Fourthly, through settlement programmes. These may be used to integrate multi-cultural and multi-religious societies. Other countries can learn from the experiences of Malaysia in this regard.

I believe the real objective of human beings on this earth is to promote justice. This condition can only be achieved if there is a will and sincere effort towards creating a more peaceful world.