I am very disturbed with the turn of events in my beloved country. You may call me pendatang or kafir. I accept your immature statement with pure maturity.
I am not a pendatang because the last time I checked, my identification card was blue and I was listed as a Malaysian citizen.
You can call me kafir but I will always remember that my parents and my religion taught me never to resort to name calling.
The biggest problem we have today is ‘lack of understanding’. Many do not even understand the Constitution and therefore its true meaning is lost on them.
It is high time we ponder what went wrong and just exactly what caused this epidemic. Is it our education system? What about extremist religious teachings?
Are our current lot of politicians more intent on championing issues of self-interest and self-gratification rather than national integration?
We must go back to our roots. Revamp the education system. Many countries strive to continuously improve their education system but unfortunately, we have regressed.
We have forgotten that this is not Tanah Melayu any longer. This is Malaysia and has been since 1963.
We look at the past to learn so that we do not make the same mistakes again. However we have chosen to live in a time warp not because it is right but because many have interpreted it to be right.
Many moderate Muslims have defended Islam for the right reasons. Islam is a religion of compassion. I truly believe it is. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many genuine converts.
Unfortunately, Islam’s image is being tarnished by religious fanatics. It has spread to many areas including our medical field, the judiciary and even the police force.
This disease is spreading fast. Many members of Parliament are also not aware of or understand the Constitution. Who do we blame?
Have you ever heard of a country where the police force is biased? Any police force should uphold the law without the issue of race or religion being a factor. They should act as the defender of the Supreme Court.
However the current child custody issue in Malaysia shows this is hardly the case. Did those men convert because they loved the religion or did they convert to spite their spouses?
The children were also converted out of spite. These children already followed a particular religion because when they were born, they were not Muslims.
Who will defend these helpless kids? Who will be their voice? Who is giving Islam a bad name?
Then there’s the issue of the bride taken away during her temple wedding. This most important day in her life is tarnished forever by the uncouth manner in which her wedding was disrupted.
Did anybody from the religious department check to see if this woman was a practising Muslim? Who is giving Islam a bad name?
And of course the snatching of dead bodies. Let us look at the practical side. If these people were genuine when they converted to Islam, would they not have told their families about it? Why hide?
According to reports, these people converted many, many years ago. Why did the religious bodies not follow up on these converts to ensure that they were actually following the teachings of Islam?
Then from out of the blue, they fight for the dead bodies much to the surprise of the deceased’s family. Who is giving Islam a bad name?
Some question the necessity of the tallest religious statues in Batu Caves and Penang respectively as well as the largest Christian convention centre in Malaysia. They claim this country is tolerant of other religions.
My question is this – while our Constitution demands it of us, how can we talk about religious tolerance when it seems very much a one-way street?
I am not a lawyer – just an ordinary but very concerned citizen.
At the end of the day, what we do while we are still breathing counts. Whatever happens to us after that, we are answerable only to our creator. That is why it is important to be kind to another human regardless of our religious beliefs.
There is no need to emphasise that one is more superior than the other in terms of belief, race, colour or creed. We are all creations of God.
There is only one race and that is the human race. Race to be the best not demand that people acknowledge you to be the best. Respect will come when you act justly and with maturity.
Source : http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/highlight/2014/06/25/there-is-only-one-race-the-human-race/
I am not a pendatang because the last time I checked, my identification card was blue and I was listed as a Malaysian citizen.
You can call me kafir but I will always remember that my parents and my religion taught me never to resort to name calling.
The biggest problem we have today is ‘lack of understanding’. Many do not even understand the Constitution and therefore its true meaning is lost on them.
It is high time we ponder what went wrong and just exactly what caused this epidemic. Is it our education system? What about extremist religious teachings?
Are our current lot of politicians more intent on championing issues of self-interest and self-gratification rather than national integration?
We must go back to our roots. Revamp the education system. Many countries strive to continuously improve their education system but unfortunately, we have regressed.
We have forgotten that this is not Tanah Melayu any longer. This is Malaysia and has been since 1963.
We look at the past to learn so that we do not make the same mistakes again. However we have chosen to live in a time warp not because it is right but because many have interpreted it to be right.
Many moderate Muslims have defended Islam for the right reasons. Islam is a religion of compassion. I truly believe it is. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many genuine converts.
Unfortunately, Islam’s image is being tarnished by religious fanatics. It has spread to many areas including our medical field, the judiciary and even the police force.
This disease is spreading fast. Many members of Parliament are also not aware of or understand the Constitution. Who do we blame?
Have you ever heard of a country where the police force is biased? Any police force should uphold the law without the issue of race or religion being a factor. They should act as the defender of the Supreme Court.
However the current child custody issue in Malaysia shows this is hardly the case. Did those men convert because they loved the religion or did they convert to spite their spouses?
The children were also converted out of spite. These children already followed a particular religion because when they were born, they were not Muslims.
Who will defend these helpless kids? Who will be their voice? Who is giving Islam a bad name?
Then there’s the issue of the bride taken away during her temple wedding. This most important day in her life is tarnished forever by the uncouth manner in which her wedding was disrupted.
Did anybody from the religious department check to see if this woman was a practising Muslim? Who is giving Islam a bad name?
And of course the snatching of dead bodies. Let us look at the practical side. If these people were genuine when they converted to Islam, would they not have told their families about it? Why hide?
According to reports, these people converted many, many years ago. Why did the religious bodies not follow up on these converts to ensure that they were actually following the teachings of Islam?
Then from out of the blue, they fight for the dead bodies much to the surprise of the deceased’s family. Who is giving Islam a bad name?
Some question the necessity of the tallest religious statues in Batu Caves and Penang respectively as well as the largest Christian convention centre in Malaysia. They claim this country is tolerant of other religions.
My question is this – while our Constitution demands it of us, how can we talk about religious tolerance when it seems very much a one-way street?
I am not a lawyer – just an ordinary but very concerned citizen.
At the end of the day, what we do while we are still breathing counts. Whatever happens to us after that, we are answerable only to our creator. That is why it is important to be kind to another human regardless of our religious beliefs.
There is no need to emphasise that one is more superior than the other in terms of belief, race, colour or creed. We are all creations of God.
There is only one race and that is the human race. Race to be the best not demand that people acknowledge you to be the best. Respect will come when you act justly and with maturity.
Source : http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/highlight/2014/06/25/there-is-only-one-race-the-human-race/
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