Source. Malaysia Insider
JAN 11 — It is a truth, universally acknowledged, that a fanatic in possession of a historical adversary, must be in want of a fresh fight.
The controversy surrounding the usage of the sacred word “Allah” has become, literally, a burning issue.
Those on the most extreme ends of this debate identify with two groups that have often been in conflict throughout their existence. The baggage of Muslim-Christian animosity goes back to the Crusades and beyond, and sadly, has become immensely relevant in modern day Malaysia.
Today’s controversy is also rooted in a dynamic that goes back certainly beyond Austen, and far back beyond the prophets of either religion. Pride and prejudice versus “the Other” have been the hallmark of intergroup relations for as far back as civilisation remembers.
As both sides have amply demonstrated, when those not “like us” “encroach” on our territories, our pride kicks in, and demands that we defend what is “ours.” Our prejudices rise to the surface, informed by a lifetime of indoctrination, and millennia of bad blood.
Thankfully, for most of us, this only applies to a certain point. It is indeed encouraging that the vast majority of Malaysians from all persuasions came out in condemnation of the violence perpetrated in the dead of Thursday night.
Particularly encouraging was the offer by Muslim NGOs who had been protesting the use of “Allah” by Christian to form volunteer units to protect churches. I am sure many will question their sincerity, but I take this as a positive sign and accept, in the spirit it was given, this gesture by those with passionate views we should respect.
WHAT IS REALLY AT STAKE
Perhaps we can build on this brief moment of unity to truly examine our differences — real versus imagined — and identify what is actually at stake here.
The emotion which imbues this debate makes it seem like nothing less than religious identity and religious freedom were being threatened. Like Dr Parnassus and Mr Nick, we seem to be fighting over the number of souls we can collect, and the rules of the game we play.
The more impassioned Christians seem to feel this issue to be a basic infringement by overbearing Muslims on freedoms they feel entitled to, and an encroachment on their work with established Christian communities.
Muslims who feel strongly about the exclusivity of “Allah” often argue that this entire thing reflects a devious intention by the Christians to gain access to and encroach on Muslims souls to confuse, proselytise and lead them astray.
Neither are entirely right, neither are entirely wrong.
Both these factions employ a siege mentality that plays out against a global backdrop. Much of Western Christianity finds itself in the “grip” of “Islamist” terrorism, whereas vivid in the minds of Muslims are the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the long-standing issue of America-aligned Israel’s occupation of Palestine. The fact that these conflicts are by far more political than religious does not often sway fanatics.
Interview any adherent to either extreme, and you will get centuries-old stories of horrific atrocities, systemic discrimination, and devious plots by one to wipe the other out. For all the manner in which these two sides try to differentiate between one and the other, the language they have used over millennia to describe their opponents and their own “struggle” is unmistakably identical.
OVERCOMING THE WEIGHT OF HISTORY
Somewhere between these clashing titans lies little Malaysia, always at the crossroads of the world. In the streets and cyberlanes of Kuala Lumpur, some seek to perpetuate their Jihads and Holy Crusades — full of pride, full of prejudice.
For the rest of us, however, perhaps we need to take a step back and ask ourselves: Truly, is so much at stake? In our dreams of fighting proxy-wars over Jerusalem, have we forgotten our true time, place and context? Have we forgotten the good relations we ourselves have shared with real Muslims and Christians in our daily lives — replacing those relations as a reference with imaginary Muslims and Christians from another era and place?
More simply: Is this perhaps a matter clearly (and perhaps purposely) blown out of proportion?
I realise I will not make friends on either side by saying so, but perhaps this is a point worth considering.
I have read many articulate opinions quoting precedent as to how and why the use of “Allah” should not be exclusive to Muslims. At the same time, I have yet to read truly compelling arguments as to why the usage of “Allah” by Christians is of such pivotal necessity, given the possible alternatives.
I consider the debate to be intellectually engaging, and best suited for dispassionate and sincere dialogue between scholars, lawyers and religious leaders. The fact that sound and fury instead fill today’s papers indicate that the public has been inflamed to believe (erroneously in my humble view) that this issue is somehow connected to something bigger and more serious — like some small island threatening to cause a war between continents.
Surely, however, if adherents to either religion had faith in their precepts and appeal to non-believers, what difference does a single word make? Does its usage or non-usage by Christians truly make or break the most fundamental causes of either Islam or Christianity in Malaysia? Are our religions built only on the use of a name?
1 SYAITAN?
Some see the history of Muslim and Christian relations as one of blood and sword — certainly the more dramatic and sexier interpretation. While these aspects of history cannot be denied (though there are clearly no “good guys” or “bad guys” that have bloodless hands), we must also recall centuries of peaceful and happy coexistence and build on a heritage of unity, not a history of conflict.
So much time and energy has been poured into this controversy, while other Malaysians issues scream for the attention of both devout Muslims and Christians.
Why do the Children of the Book, the Ahlul Kitab, not turn the energies expended throughout this controversy towards together seeking justice for our countrymen? While we fight over words and semantics, Malaysians are still constantly robbed by those in power, denied fair trials, and beaten mercilessly by agents of their own government.
Perhaps it is time to lay both pride and prejudice down, reflect on the true teachings of our faiths, and reach out not in suspicion, but in love, towards “the Other.” Let us forget for a moment our tribal affiliations and blind adherence to those “like us,” and seek out compromise in a spirit of sincerity; perhaps that is the best testament we can give to our common humanity and the first step to uniting against common adversaries.
After all, while we argue over what to call God, let us not forget to fight the Devil — who works his evil regardless of what he is called.
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