Republic of virtue, 6/09

Seeing beyond those religious debates PDF Print
Posted by admin
Wednesday, 17 June 2009 10:10

Must religious dialogue be painful? Must it be greeted with hostility? Or is it a moot question - that the answer lies in the failure of our education system -- decades ago? Controversies such as the once aborted Bar Council proposal for an interfaith dialogue sometime ago, and the PAS-SIS quarrel recently offer us opportunities for dialogue, instead of a threat for a deafening silence.

A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE
Dr. Azly Rahman
http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/06/empire-of-reason-part-1.html

Here are my thoughts on what is possible:

I have faith that we will one day be ready to appreciate not only intrafaith but also interfaith dialogue. This goes the same too for philosophical discussions and scientific debates. My experience conducting interfaith dialogues every semester in American classrooms gives me the assurance that we will be ready.

It would be good to know that eventually our corridors of academia are filled with passionate discussions on the self, the universe, God, and fate of humanity. It would be even better if we can speak of any religion from its unique perspective, seen from ecumenical, sociological, philological, historical, and phenomenological lens. The great cultural-philosophical traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikkhism, Confucianism, Daosim have their powerful educative value alongside with the monistic philosophies of the revealed religions of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic traditions. Each must be appreciated and studied in depth.

Hence, the core of each religious foundation is there for us to explore and to learn from. We need to escape from being trapped in the particular and liberate ourselves into explorers of the universal.

Of course this will take time given the nature of class and caste system we are in; developments that have impacted our consciousness. But evolve we must, if we are to see a progressive country emerging out of these ruins of communal politics, immorality of modern casino capitalism, and persistent religious misunderstandings. Ignorance is the greatest enemy of knowledge, as the Greek sage Socrates once said.

What is interfaith dialogue?

The aborted Bar Council forum sometime ago was a good example of how we will continue to approach inter-faith dialogue. There is vision in chaos, creation in destruction, and opportunities in threats. Educators of peace and social justice must not give up.

In a country such as Malaysia with a Centre for Civilisational Dialogue in Universiti Malaya, and excellent faculties in the International Islamic University, and in a country wanting to be known as a "moderate country with a Muslim majority", we are seeing contradictions. It’ll get uglier if we fail to reflect upon the means and methods of religious dialogue.

We do not know much what each one of us believes in and what are the rituals and practices of our neighbours. We do not know what scripture they read, let alone the meaning of the prayers, the doa, zikir, the pujas, and the mantras. We lack the knowledge of the fundamentals. This is understandable - fear governs our consciousness and directs our actions and ultimately reproduces itself inter-generationally. Religion is a "sensitive" issue, they say - which needs desensitisation, I would contend.

Back to the Bar Council forum protests and the PAS-SIS row. These are a misrepresentation of what Muslims are and a reflection of how we have approached not only dialogue on religion but also on other "sensitive issues" as well. In this environment and in this regime where exploitation of issues are orchestrated by opportunists at the expense of peaceful dialogue, we will always be at the losing end of education for critical consciousness and for peace.

Humanism and rationalism

We must go back to the drawing board of our approach to teaching religion in terms of curricular design and how to juxtapose or even infuse it with core ideas of humanism and rationalism. This will take another few decades given the complexity of our society and its present evolution of “half-bakedness” of hypermodernity.

As mentioned, I have had the opportunity to conduct classes on world religions in which my students not only are American and foreign-born Muslims but also Jews, Christians, Catholic, Buddhists, Hindus, Atheists, Agnostics, and even pagans. At the end of each semester, they have a different perception of each other - more in-depth understanding of what could have remained antagonistic. We read selections of world scriptures from a hermeneutic perspective - situate them in the present and projecting them into the future.

Discussions on the Islamic concept of jihad evolved into a reflection on the struggles for the human self to explore suffering, violence, and liberation in all religious traditions. It should include discussions on media representation of the concept.

I often wonder if what I am doing is possible in Malaysia but I certainly have the confidence and hope that given the most peaceful way to approach it, a lot can be gained. Essentially religious dialogue need not be painful.

It ought to help foster deep understanding and dispel misconception of ANY religion. It ought to make us become deeply religious and to learn to explore what others believe, to respect them, to learn from the universal themes of spirituality, and ultimately to contemplate our existence within the context of the struggle between Good and Evil and to evolve as more ethical and rational beings - so that we may participate better as political and social beings..

Major scriptures

I believe we need to revamp undergraduate foundation courses in our public and private to include one that teaches the classics of the thoughts of the Eastern and Western tradition and the scriptures of the major religions. We must then bring theory to practice through experiential learning. It would be an extremely valuable experience if a Muslim can visit a church, a Hindu a Daoist temple, a Sikh a sanga, a Christian a masjid, and an atheist a gurdwara and to speak to the respective religious teachers/leaders to gain insight into the scriptures and the spiritual lives of human beings in a multicultural, many-religious society. The findings of their field study can then be used as a basis of classroom discussions for them to speak about respect and tolerance beyond cliché and mere rhetoric.

But then again, our university students are not even allowed to be involved in politics and to engage freely in public forum on political matters – how might this be possible with interfaith dialogue then?

We have a long walk to mental freedom and to a philosophical understanding of Islam and other religions. Unfortunately Malaysians are now known as people who are good at disrupting dialogues. I hope this perception will change. I hope we will evolve into such cultured beings. There is definitely tremendous value in looking at human beings through what they believe.

Education is about hope, peace, empathy, intelligence, and liberation - these we must use as a basis for a new design once we see major restructuring efforts under way undertaken by perhaps a new political, social, and educational arrangement.

Let us continue to look at possibilities in interfaith dialogue. Let education for peace and justice do that. In a country such as Malaysia wherein even Muslims are in conflicts with each other and with themselves, drowned in the sea of globalization of complexity and chaos, grasping for Light, we need to begin to be aware of the power of our evolution too as homo religiosis rather than merely homo economicus. With massive corruption, abuse of power, dehumanization via the conscious design of postmodern class and caste system, breakdown of local, state and federal governance, breakdown of family, fragmentation of the self through the onslaught of digital media, and the rude and rampant trampling of human rights – with all these we need to come together and listen to the voice of our Inner Conscience, the Inner Self, and the Self Within that cries to be known and acknowledged of its existence. We must do this as a nation and as an individual.

Ultimately, as an individual and as a nation we will ask this question: where do we come from?, where are we and what ought we be doing? and where do we go next -- body, mind, consciousness, soul, spirit, and all?

From the boundaries of our own notion of truth, we will find the answers, comfortable enough to discover what ethics and spirituality means as they translate into pragmatics.
OUR USUAL REMINDER, FOLKS:
While the opinion in the article is mine,
the comments are yours;
present them rationally and ethically.
AND -- SET ALL I.S.A. DETAINEES FREE]

Comments (14)Add Comment
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written by sydput, June 17, 2009 10:39:16
Muslims abhor religious dialogue because it will make them look silly.
Headbangers are more dignified than muslims, hence their performance is banned because there can only be headbangers of a particular group only.
Most chinese don't pray, nor do they embrace a religion, but they believe in God. Hence that means chinese act more like what is defined as a muslim in the koran.
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written by Spear Bing, June 17, 2009 12:03:03
" There is vision in chaos, creation in destruction, and opportunities in threats. Educators of peace and social justice must not give up." - Azly Rahman

How true and profound this statement is. Sadly the perspectives of those so-called skull cap Islamic experts in the like of the PKR MP for Kulim are brutally shut out and that could be reason for the abnoxious raid and gate-crashing incident during the interfaith dialogue in the BAR Council premises.

Dr. Azly, your capacity for gaining such wide angled perspectives on this life-evolving issues is one skill set that many so-called Islamic scholars in Malaysia will take decades to master. The big question is whether do they possess such capacity?

But it is note-worthy you are still hopeful and positive that the forces for evolution will eventually witness such interfaith or intrafaith dialogues will come to fruition.
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written by *********, June 17, 2009 12:33:09
Regarding Freedom Fest '09 held in Melaka, it is apparent that the BN/Umno government of Ali Rustam in Melaka had flagrantly violated the constitutional rights of non Muslims in this country by enforcing a dress code on visitors. We hear of how the non Malay BN lapdog component parties especially MCA and Gerakan are taking potshots at PAS by claiming that PAS wanted to impose Syariah Laws on non Muslims in Malaysia. However, MCA led by the hypocrite Chew Mei Fun is silent on the subtle Islamization process carried out by Umno in the country...More http://*********.********.com/...html#links
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written by Ocassey, June 17, 2009 12:39:34
Every major, if not all religion ,spre*** goodwill and abhor evil. Being human who has swallowed that slice of apple in that garden only to be stuck halfway in the throat now forever and after a rib was taken to create EVE that caused him to thirst for wisdom that gave him the "ADAM'S APLE" of today... well all religion should fuse into one because the other force which is negative has all these while remain ONE powerful universal evil. Shouldn't we have only one universal religion to fight that universal EVIL ?
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written by teo siew chin, June 17, 2009 12:56:38
why indeed must there be war-cries when we speak of religion.
for has it not been said - there is nothing stronger in the world than gentleness.
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written by densemy, June 17, 2009 14:06:17
Huh... How can you debate a belief when you are not even allowed to question it??
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written by babihutan, June 17, 2009 14:17:07
It is all about...........Satanic Versus
If you know what i mean..
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written by Admiral Tojo, June 17, 2009 17:33:40
Make your judgement base on deeds. Those who do good deeds and those who do bad deeds. Debates have been going on for centuries to no end. Debate with deeds and not just words.

Throw away the box. Think without a box and perhaps you will see and comprehend. It is all part of the evolution of the human species. Those who cling to these boxes will become ultimately irrelevant.

Shalom
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written by Milo, June 20, 2009 09:32:08
admiral Tojo, I agree. "By deeds' is the only concept that is universally justifiable in any religious debates if truth really matters. Unfortunately, religious debates is about winning arguements; not in finding truth. That's why it has not work things out with all the debates over the centuries.
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written by shiokguy, June 20, 2009 10:31:25
You belief in yours and I belief in Mine

Stop trying to convince me yours is the truth and others are not truth. The truth might be very painful.. Are you ready for my version of the truth?

it is call Alienology or Alientology http://shiokguy.********.com/2...igion.html

Who know, I might be the one who has the last laugh!

Shiok Guy
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written by Steven Ong, June 20, 2009 16:47:36
Can there ever be a religious dialogue or debate in Malaysia? How can it be when Muslim are so sensitive and militant about Islam. Or is this they are called to defend Islam? Lets not talk about the past, but look towards the future with the present knowledge and understanding of each religions. What really needs to be sensitive, is to be sensitive to the needs of others aspecially the poor and needy. Are we so dull to the thousands that are surfering and dying each day? And yet we are contributing to the surfering by our sensitiveness to our beliefs. Are not all religions suppose to teach us to be more humane and caring?

What the Muslims actually afraid of in an open dialogue, is its exposure to the many unjust laws and discriminations against woman and other faiths. If Islam's teachings are truly flawless, then there shouldn't be any fear to an open debate and dialogue. Let God be the judge. The militant stance to defend prophet Muhammad as very sacred shows that there is something not right behind this. God said in the Bible : 'Revenge is Mind.'Let every thing we are be the manifestation and evidence of each faith. You are the fruits of your faith. And let God be the Judge. Let they who have an ear hear what the spirit is saying.
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written by Milo, June 21, 2009 10:29:29
Steven, hahah, we can only have religious bloglogue in Malaysia.. guarantee not to produce physical fighting.
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written by Joe, June 23, 2009 17:59:53
Ever since there was the one God, there has been killing in his name!
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