Towards a Harmonious Co-Existence for a Better World
Inter-Communal Forum speach, Cotabato, 3 - 4 May 2009
Dear Respected Friends,
This is indeed a very happy occasion for me, and for you too, I am sure, that what started as a courtesy visit some two years ago has turned out into a goodwill mission, by the Blessings of God Almighty and by your sincerity and judicious enthusiasm. This certainly is not of my friends’ and my making. This is surely all due to your keen quest and sincere desire for peaceful co-existence and harmonious well-being, and your noble hopes and aspirations for your beautiful children and grandchildren whom I lovingly call “the Romeos and Juliets of Cotabato”.
That you as parents, grandparents, uncles, aunties, sisters, brothers, friends, teachers and neighbors to these precious innocents have grave responsibilities towards them and their future – this I cannot emphasize strong enough. God Almighty has given them to you as part of His Blessings upon you, innocent and lovely as they are, gracing and enlightening up your lives with their cheerful and loving presence. They are therefore your responsibilities - the caring and the upbringing of them, as so also are their joy and sadness, their laughter and tears. If indeed they do laugh, then the joy is yours too; and if they cry, the pain is yours also. You and you alone, each and every one of you, without exception, are responsible for giving them a peaceful and fulfilling existence under the Blessings of God Almighty.
The Nature of Peace
Let it be reminded that peace, harmony and well-being are not a matter of fact; they are to be deserved. Only those who deserve them will deserve them. They are as elusive as a dream and yet as real as existence itself. Yet peace is easier to achieve and sustain than chaos and violence because peace, affection, compassion and kindness are inborn traits of human nature. Even the unschooled and the simple-minded possess these traits. Hatred and violence, on the other hand, are the characteristics of the exceptional few and thus these exceptional few need to work very hard to manipulate normal human feelings to change them to rage and violence. And they will succeed to do so only if the situation is in their favor, particularly if discontent is rampant and injustice has taken place.
Although peace is the natural order of human existence, but once hatred and rage have taken roots, they will be very difficult to defuse, let alone to extinguish. Hence violence begets violence, hatred promotes further hatred, and avenges ignite revenges. And thus the vicious spiral of hate-violence will rage endlessly, gathering momentum as it circle and circle, like the raging fury of a wild tornado. Amidst all these, those that pay the price will be the most innocent of the innocents - as did Romeo and Juliet of days of old, killed by the perpetual hatred of their warring families, the cause of the animosity too far remove to be remembered by the living anymore. And indeed, the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is lived up through every age of human history, in this place or that, at this time or that time. Will we ever learn?
In the case of Cotabato, yes, indeed, we must learn. Enough is enough; no more the re-living of the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet; no, not indeed, not anymore in Cotabato. This we must whisper as a prayer deep inside our very being – Dear God, enough is enough. Surely we can be better than what we are today and we surely can live better than we do now. After all, we come into this life only once, and we are here only for a limited period. Moreover, we come into this world as individuals, and we will leave this world as individuals. Likewise, we all stand accountable before God Almighty tomorrow as individuals, accountable for every deed that we do. Surely, we want to stand, answerable to Him in all dignity and with all confidence – that we are good people with good deeds, with the right words and with the proper thoughts. As much as we are responsible and accountable for ourselves, so also are we responsible and accountable to those around us, our families, our society.
Indeed, all religions, all religions without exception, pay attention to both the personal matters as well as the social matters. As religions nurture a person to be good, religions also require the person to pay attention to society. Hence the famous socio-political maxim of religion, of all religions, as proclaimed by that great sage of ancient China, Confucius (Kung Fu Tze) – “Good individuals make good society”. Indeed, every religion mandates upon its followers not only to be good but also to do good; thus the rituals and rites as well as the ethics and the etiquettes of religion. Similarly, every religion also condemns aggression and violence, injustice and oppression of every kind. Hence, to be religious is not only to feel and think religiously, but also to act religiously, and a religious person is therefore an active person, not a passive person, participating in society and developing society.
Humankind and the Universe
Among the most fundamental of responsibilities of a person of religion is to promote peace and harmony for one and all, humans and non-humans alike. Indeed God the Almighty has set everybody, every being and everything in the order that He formulated them to be, and when everybody, every being and everything is moving in concord and good order then there is harmony of existence in the universe of God. When one and all are in a state of harmony then there is peace and stability. However, if it is otherwise, then there will be disorder and chaos. Peace and harmony in the universe is therefore reflected in the laws of nature where everything and everyone moves in the rhythm set for it, each in its place and in accordance to its own laws of existence, living up its appropriate roles and functions and carrying out its proper duties and responsibilities.
As harmony and peaceful co-existence is the natural order of the universe and the world of nature, so likewise should it be also in the world of humanity. Like the universe and nature, every human being too is part of the Divine Order of Existence. Indeed, most religion believe that everybody, every being and everything is the creation of God and that one and all come from God and will return to God . To harm and hurt another person, another being or another thing tantamount therefore to the harming and hurting of a creature or a creation of God, which, of course will not be pleasing to the Creator Almighty, to say the least about it. Likewise, to upset and jeopardize His Order of Existence will also not please Him because this amounts to disrespecting and disturbing His Craftsmanship and His Creation.
For the human world, for a peaceful, harmonious and happy co-existence, it is essential that acknowledgement and the respect for other people be observed, and along with that too, the acceptance of others as they are, and to behave appropriately towards each other. As much as we want our rights to be acknowledged and respected, so likewise should we also give others the same too. Indeed, all religions teach us how to behave appropriately towards each other, and this is called the social ethics and etiquettes of religion, or the inter-personal dimension of religion. It is only when the proper social ethics and etiquettes are well observed, when people are duly respected, and when people can live comfortably and with proper dignity, can there be peaceful and harmonious co-existence.
Understanding Life and Existence
Nevertheless, religions also acknowledge the tendency of human beings to be mean towards one another and thus warn and even censor and threaten those who choose to be bad and to do bad, with the appropriate retributions, in this life as well as in the next. Whereas in this life, the laws and the penalties will be enforced, in the next life, the retributions will take effect in the form of Paradise and Hell of the Hereafter, or according to some religions, into the appropriate Rebirth. Thus Paradise and Hell of the Hereafter, as well as Rebirths, are therefore places for people with particular types of behavior, living up their dues accordingly Paradise is the Land of Rewards with everything nice and pleasant in it whereas Hell is the Land of Punishment wherein is everything that is ugly and unpleasant. Indeed, all religions have concepts of retributions, of rewarding the good and punishing the bad, be this in the form of Paradise and Hell of the Hereafter of the monotheistic religions, or the Rebirth Cycles of some other religions.
Thus whereas in this world, both the good and the bad exist side by side in one place called “Earth”, in the Hereafter, however, the separation between the good and the bad becomes absolute. Paradise is the realm of everything good and nice, whereas Hell is the realm of everything horrible and horrifying. These two places are portrayed so vividly by religions, so clear and seems so near, so that people should be inspired to work for the former and to shun the latter. This means that people ought to take their present life seriously since this life, though temporary and transitory as it is, nevertheless will have full bearing upon their permanent existence in their next life, the Hereafter. And this life is all about responsibilities and accountability. Indeed, to be alive is to be accountable and all religions explain that every deed and every misdeed are all to be accounted for and all these will have bearing upon the next life to come, be this in the Hereafter or in the Rebirths.
Thus religion sees and explains death as a continuation of life, namely life in a different stage of existence. In this context, death is therefore an explanation about life. When we know what death and life-after-death is all about then we will be able to put our current existence in its proper context, namely, this life is not the be-all or the end-all of existence but is only a transit, just one stage of existence going into another. Our existence here in this current life should therefore be synchronized to fit into our next existence. From this perspective, death therefore makes this life valuable, meaningful, significant and worthy, and that all deeds and works will be transmitted into the next life in the form of retributions. Thus it is worthwhile indeed to be good and to do good. On the reverse, bad deeds will find unhappy endings and justice will catch up ultimately, if not here in this life, then in the next life, but in most cases, in both places.
Universal and Common Ethics
All religions therefore place a big emphasis on what is right and what is wrong, and hence also, what is correct and proper behavior, and what is wrong and improper behavior. It is indeed enlightening to note that the items of right and wrong are common and are parallel across the religions. In short, what is right and proper conduct in one religion is also deemed as right and proper conduct across all religions, and similarly, what are censored and condemned acts are condemned and censored by other religions too. To list some of the condemned items - murder, adultery, slandering, stealing, cheating, among others are censored across all religions. In Islam, these items are found in the Huddud and Qisas of the Shari’ah, and these are also found in the items of the Ten Commandments of Judaism and Christianity. In Buddhism, these fall under the Ten Precepts, whereas in Hinduism these are part of the Nyamas and Yamas, and these are also severely censored in Sikhism too.
On the other hand such items as love, compassion, forgiveness, generosity, among others, are praise-worthy features across all the religions. Hence, a respected person of one community is equally respected by other communities as well. In fact, the famous Seven Deadly Sins are regarded as unworthy characteristics across all the religions, whereas the Seven Cardinal Virtues are regarded as praiseworthy character across other religions, although the technical terms and expressions may differ from religion to religion. It is thus not surprising therefore that even at the governmental level laws are similar across the nations. Hence, a criminal act is deemed a crime across all nations although the judiciary system and the penalties may differ from country to country.
Thus, although at the level of theology religions do not concur with each other, with each religion defining and explaining divinity and religion in its own specific and exclusive ways, however at the level of ethics or behavior, and at the level of values, religions do concur. It is therefore at the level of ethics that human beings function as fellow beings, as members of the human family. And it is at the level of ethics therefore that need to be garnished and improved if human beings are to live in peaceful co-existence with one another. Thus whereas faith and spirituality are needed for spiritual harmony, ethics and correct behavior are essential for harmonious co-existence on this planet.
Intra-Personal and Inter-Personal Harmony
It needs to be emphasized however that both spiritual and social harmony is needed for a fulfilling and meaningful life on this earth. If spiritual harmony is absent, the person will become a restless person, at odds with himself or herself – hence the self-annihilation or self-destructive syndrome that is spreading like wildfire across the globe today, particularly in the more advance countries, expressed in such forms as drug addiction, alcoholism, hedonistic lifestyles, and even more frightening now, suicides and killing rampages. What is even more disturbing is that actors are getting younger and younger by age.
These surely are indicators of persons who are emotionally and spiritually disturbed, persons suffering a psycho-spiritual void or emptiness, and thus need to resort to artificial means to fill up the emptiness of his or her soul. Yet, these artificial means are ineffective, at best only giving the person temporary relief and satisfaction, if at all. Even more vindictive, these artificial means further enhanced the feeling of emptiness in the person when they become sober, and so they resort even further into their habit of self-destruction. In some very sad cases, such people resort to suicide seeing death as an end to a meaningless and painful existence. However, and sadly too, even death these unfortunately ones do not comprehend much either. Even more tragic, some of such people, in their state of utter confusion and depression, have even gone berserk, going on a killing rampage, even killing among the most innocent and most uninvolved, including such as school kids.
Thus the world today is not only suffering through inter-personal violence, but also intra-personal violence. Surely, despite all the advancement in science and technology, despite all the sophistication of life and lifestyles, the world is yet to be a healthy and happy place for one and all. That the human world is in dire need for a different sort of life and of existence is strongly felt across the globe too. This is particularly obvious in the sentiments and moods of the young. They are clearly and loudly expressing themselves through various channels that they crave for a different type of world, a world with no missile races, no armament contests, no political manipulations, no superpower high-handedness, no economic victimizations, and no nature exploitations. Their birth into the age of media sophistry and their proficiency in the internet technology expose them to the realities on the ground, across the planet. Thus they see, they know, they understand and they feel. Indeed, they actually know more than any pundit and they feel more than any politician. And they want a better world, a new world order, a world order that is based on peace, compassion and dignity, a one that is comfortable for one and all, human and non-human alike, a world that is fair to one and all. And dear God, let us help give them so.
However, one word of caution is necessary - their noble ideals and visions may be the cause of their frustrations too. This is because the world is not ready yet for such a big shift in the paradigms of thinking and feeling. Even so, we are in full agreement with them that the world cannot go on as it is now and that a new world order is urgently needed. Thus we ought to support their noble visions and at the same time, assist them build up the type of psycho-spiritual strength they will need to sustain a prolong struggle for a better life and living. In brief, we need to equip them with spirituality and religion along with their intellectual progress. Nevertheless, the type of spirituality and religion that they need is such that will help them live comfortably in their time, namely today, and not a spirituality that confronts and disorientates them from their contemporary setting. This means that we need to explain religion and spirituality in a way that make sense to them and is meaningful to them. We need also to be reminded that there were such times in human history where religions had become over-bearing and had suffocated people, and hence the suspicions and nervousness of certain quarters over the return of religion into mainstream life today.
Coming Up to Performance
Yet return religion must to mainstream life because the spiritual hollowness is causing nightmares of sorts, with all the destructive syndromes, intra-personal and inter-personal, as illustrated above, escalating by the day. Thus religion, and precisely, people of religion and people of conscience, ought indeed to come up front and center-stage to do their bit to sustain, if not to completely resolve these problems. Indeed, people of religion and people of conscience cannot go on living the culture of the mosquito, buzzing and biting in the dark, from behind, grumbling and lamenting over the plight of the world but doing nothing about it. Surely, we as human beings and as the crown of God’s creation, are meant be better than this, and indeed we can certainly do better than just being silent witnesses of events, sad and heart-rending events.
In truth, the pains and suffering, the violence and conflicts across the globe do not so much as reflect the success and the triumph of the bad and the evil, but are more so the reflections of the failures and the ineffectiveness of the good and the conscientious to affect goodness into society. This is even more so true in the case of our very own locality. In brief, the sufferings and the ongoing discontent, or even of the conflicts and the violence in our society are the reflections of our very own personal failure as fellow members of the society, and also as fellow human beings, to affect and promote peace and peaceful co-existence, to cultivate and nurture amiable and harmonious relationship within our very own society. Indeed, without being aware of it, our silence and our non-performance aggravate the situation further and invite the inevitable to take place. Let us therefore make due repairs before we are summoned back to the Almighty to relate to Him our records of deeds.
Celebrating Commonness and Managing Differences
It needs to be clarified that a harmonious and peaceful and co-existence does not mean a uniformity of existence where everybody thinks alike and does alike. No, a harmonious and peaceful co-existence is the ability to be different and to act differently without causing harm and discomfort to others. As such, harmonious and peaceful co-existence means unity in diversity, in the sense that although there are differences among the people, yet the people are still united as a society and as a nation. Putting it in another way, it means to be able to be as we are and to be given space to be as we are, and likewise too, to let others be as they are and to give space for others to be as they are. Even though others are different from us, yet they are still part of our life and are part of our concern, and thus their rights are to be sincerely and genuinely acknowledged, respected and protected, and justice ought to be implemented accordingly to one and all in the society, without favor or prejudice whatsoever
Thus in a pluralistic society, differences and variations should not therefore be made into issues and disputes but rather they should be acknowledged and be endorsed as part of the social landscape. What is therefore needed is thus the ability to manage differences, or the ability to accommodate others as they are. And in this matter almost all religions, if indeed not all religions, give guidelines on the proper mode of relationship regarding the “other”. In Islam this is summarized in the Qur’anic verse meaning, “To you your religion and to me mine”. In Catholicism, this is made even more pronounced lately by a decree of the Vatican Council II of 1965, i.e., the Nostra Atate, which reaches out to other religious communities. In Hinduism, this is celebrated by their famous concept of “Many paths to the same truth”. Likewise, in Buddhism there is always the essence of compassion for all and sundry. Even in Judaism, there is recognition of other religions as ways to reach God. Hence, all religions thus acknowledge the existence of other religions and the rights of their followers although most religions do not generally endorse their truth-claims. In other words, religions seem to say that “You are not right but you have a right to be as you are”.
Moreover, the acceptance of the other also stems from the understanding that everybody, every being and everything comes from the same Source, namely, from God the Creator Almighty. This understanding is common across all the religions, differing only on the how and the why of the creation. This understanding therefore develops into the concept of the common parentage of humanity and subsequently the concept of the brotherhood of humanity. Hence, across the religions, humankind is made to understand that we are all brothers and sisters despite our different color, different race, different nationality and different creed and religion. The human family is therefore a family of diversities, and though different we may be, family we still are. And indeed, when tomorrow we stand before our Almighty Lord, we stand as an individual, as a human being, not as a representative of whosoever or whatever.
Relating and Accommodating Others
As such, it is our very own religions that teach us how to relate to, and how to accommodate people of other faiths. Since this is a Divine Command, doing otherwise therefore tantamount to a transgression of Divine Orders, and the consequences will surely not be happy ones. Thus, in the spirit of faith, we can all be nice and accommodative to everyone without having to dilute our own faith. Nay, and on the contrary, in so doing, we are actually enhancing and strengthening our faith. In brief, in promoting harmonious and peaceful co-existence, and in the cultivating and nurturing of amiable relationship between one and all, we become the committed adherents that we ought to be, carrying out Divine Commands sincerely and diligently. Hence, we can be nice to, and accommodative of, others from within the comfortable parameter of our very own religion; thus, there is nothing sacrilegious about it.
As indicated, being nice to others does not at all mean the compromising of our own faith and religion, not even our own values and priorities. Every religion has special mandates upon their adherents to do this and that, and one such mandate is the propagation of the religion. Thus Christianity has missionary and Islam has da’wah works respectively. Indeed, both religions mandate upon their adherents to share their religion with others so that more and more people will find salvation and success in this life and the next life. Even so, both religions expect that such be done in sincerity and dedication, without trickery, force, threat or bribes.
It is indeed a sad story for the religion, if in the zeal for propagation, unfair means are employed, thus giving the religion a negative image. In doing so, even if a handful of people may indeed convert into the religion but a thousand more will be driven away from it. Even more disturbing, in fact even tragic, if in the footsteps of propagation, violence and conflicts are to ensue. Hence, what is supposedly to be a saving act, eventually turns into a killing act – very ironic and unbecoming indeed, to say the least about it. Religion is not a commodity, not a merchandise to be auctioned to bidders, and conversion can only be true conversion if the new religion is genuinely accepted with all sincerity. Faith is not a pretence, not a fake. Faith is a conviction, a conviction of the theology, doctrines and dogmas of the religion. Short of sincere acceptance and genuine acquiescence to the religion, then in truth, there is actually no conversion at all, only a drama of sorts, whatever the claims may be.
Principles and Formulae for Amiable Co-Existence
Other than those guidelines and mandates of religion, a healthy, harmonious and happy co-existence and an amiable state of relationship need also to be developed through the nurturing of the proper mindset and discipline. Certain observations and guidelines need to be initiated too. In the case of Malaysia, we have the Five Principles (Pillars) of the Nation, (Rukun Negara), i.e.: 1.Belief in God 2.Loyalty to King and Country 3.Upholding the Constitution 4.Rule of Law 5.Good Behavior and Morality.
In a forth coming book , I have also proposed what I termed as “The Five Cardinal Principles of Muhibah (Co-Existence)” to enhance togetherness, to wit: 1.The Principle of Civility and Decorum i.e., to understand, to acknowledge, to endorse and to appreciate differences. 2.The Principle of Restrain and Discipline, i.e., not to interfere in the intra-religious and intra-communal matters of other religion or community. 3.The Principle of Communal Cooperation, i.e., to harness and work upon the common and similar items of ethics of religions for the good and benefit of the nation. 4.The Principle of Sympathy and Empathy, i.e., to be nice to others and to treat others as how they want to be treated. 5.The Principle of Unity in Diversity , i.e., to establish loyalty and augment patriotism to the nation through the spirit of unity in diversity among the citizens of Malaysia.
Perhaps it will be helpful to elaborate a little on some of the essential items here. To begin with, in Malaysia, the essence of co-existence in embodied in the word “muhibah”. This word is randomly translated into English as “tolerance” but tolerance is a far cry from muhibah; in fact, it is quite the contrary. “Tolerance” actually indicates a sort of forced acceptance of somebody or something, in the sense that one has to accept him, her or it despite the fact that one do not really want to. So the person or thing is merely “tolerated”. It is thus a compulsion and an artificial and an insincere acceptance of the other. This is indeed a very unbecoming social philosophy, one that is inclined towards apartheid. Thus in Malaysia, we have moved away from “tolerance” into “muhibah” and muhibah is “a spirit togetherness”. …muhibah is a spirit, a culture and a tradition - a spirit of togetherness, a culture of sincere acceptance and appreciation of the other, a tradition of mutual co-existence - a genuine relationship with sensitivity towards fellow citizens and fellow beings, a kinship and a fellowship among the people of this beloved nation…
To evolve, and in the case of Malaysia to sustain and enhance, such a spirit, culture and tradition, the above Five Cardinal Principle of Muhibah (Co-Existence) is thus mooted. Briefly put, people should restrain themselves from encroaching upon the sensitivities of other people. The popular social maxim of “Treat others as you want others to treat you”, or expressed in a negative statement, “Do not do unto others what you do not like done unto you” is a simple yet practical and effective guiding formula for mutual co-existence. However, in a multi-religious and multi-racial society such as Malaysia and Cotabato are, values are not the same all round. What one community appreciates and values, another community may not, or may even find it distasteful and even offensive. For instance, for one community, drinking alcohol and eating pork is okay, but for another community, these are prohibited. Another community may forbid the eating of beef while another, the eating all types of meat.
As such, to simply treat others as how we want ourselves to be treated may result in a clash of sensitivities which can have unpleasant consequences. Thus a second social formula is needed to expand this maxim and make it more comprehensive, namely, “Treat others as how others want to be treated”, or stating the same in the negative, “Do not do unto others what others do not like done to them”. In observing these social formulae, the spirit of sympathy and empathy will evolve, not to mention understanding of “the other”. Once there is understanding, sympathy and empathy, concern and compassion will follow, and consequently, bonding will eventually grow. Bonding is actually unity, and thus there will be “unity in diversity”, i.e., a situation where people feel in association with each other despite the differences and varieties of their beliefs and practices, their values, preferences and priorities. This is what muhibah is all about – a spirit, a culture and a tradition of a healthy, harmonious and happy co-existence. And this can indeed be the spirit, the soul and the social landscape of Cotabato too. If the people of Cotabato want it so, then God will bless the efforts and make it so.
Nevertheless, it needs to be emphasized that mutual co-existence or muhibah is not only conceptual matter or a thing of the mind only. On the contrary, it needs to be put into practice. The most powerful rubrics in social building are always the simple ones because simple things are not only easy to practice but are also pleasant, fulfilling and therefore will last too. Starting from thought and then transmitting these thoughts into actions, to wit, starting with regarding one and all as fellow creatures of God, the Creator Almighty and then from this understanding, building up compassion and concern for one and all, and then to acknowledge, honor, protect and even champion the rights and the dignity of others as fellow human beings. Throughout all these, the ethics of our own religion need to be genuinely and diligently observed too.
Moreover, not only is this social landscape of pluralistic co-existence and multi-culturalism feasible for Cotabato, in fact it will also soon become the social landscape of the whole world, of the new world order. With globalization rapidly engulfing the whole planet, nobody is therefore isolated and alone. No one community can stand aloof and distant from all others; in fact, to do so is to invite the inevitable, namely, the expiration and the death of the community through a process of oblivion. Thus if a person, and likewise if a community, wants to expand and grow, advance and progress, then they will have to be part of the global tide of change, to move away from a closed and an exclusionist mentality to an open and inclusive mentality; to accept and accommodate others without changing oneself to be like the other.
Indeed, if we are to open our eyes and see the direction of the mindset of our children, our dearly loved Romeos and Juliets, we will see reflected in their thinking the world order of tomorrow. Despite their seemingly excited and at times even bewildering ways, deep in their inner being is the craving for peace, for well-being, for love and for amiable co-existence with one and all, human and non-human alike. They thirst for a world where people enjoy being friends rather than being enemies, of sharing laughter and jokes, rather than of accusations and condemnation. They desire a world that is pleasant for one and all and a life that is fulfilling and rewarding. They want to be comfortable - comfortable with themselves, comfortable with each other, and comfortable with God Almighty. Do, let us please, give them such a live.
Closing Remarks and Prayers
Friends, dear and respected, let us be reminded that we come into this life only once and only for a very short period. Our presence here is surely no coincidence but meant to be. We are born in this age, to our family, at our locality, as we are. We go through our experiences, as we are. As such, we have roles and responsibilities as we are to ourselves and to all others. Our transitory life here on this Earth will determine the type of existence we will have in our permanent life to come. Let us therefore fulfill our earthly mission so that our return to God the Almighty will be a happy return.
Dear God Almighty, all praises be unto You. Guide us and lead us to fulfill our mission here on Earth so that we leave only the best of us to the next generation. Love our children, take care of them more than we can ourselves ever do. From You we seek Your forgiveness and Your Blessings. Forgive us and Love us, O Lord Most Merciful, Ever Loving. Amin.
Associate Professor Dr. Kamar Oniah Kamaruzaman
For the Cotobato Inter-Communal Initiative (CICI) 3rd-4th May 2009 Cotabato City
5 Feb 2010 -
IIUM will be organising a talk on kalimah Allah on Feb 5. Muslimin and muslimat are invited to join the program.
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From the President's Desk
I woke up before fajr this morning with a thought over Faridah's mail. In my previous two mails, I had explained to some details why I strongly believe not to get into a tango with people whose mission is to revise Islam for their own specific purposes, humiliate our 'ulama' and discredit mainstream Muslims....
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This is indeed a very happy occasion for me, and for you too, I am sure, that what started as a courtesy visit some two years ago has turned out into a goodwill mission, by the Blessings of God Almighty and by your sincerity and judicious enthusiasm. This certainly is not of my friends’ and my making. This is surely all due to your keen quest and sincere desire for peaceful co-existence and harmonious well-being, and your noble hopes and aspirations for your beautiful children and grandchildren whom I lovingly call “the Romeos and Juliets of Cotabato”.
Indeed, all religions, all religions without exception, pay attention to both the personal matters as well as the social matters. As religions nurture a person to be good, religions also require the person to pay attention to society. Hence the famous socio-political maxim of religion, of all religions, as proclaimed by that great sage of ancient China, Confucius (Kung Fu Tze) – “Good individuals make good society”. Indeed, every religion mandates upon its followers not only to be good but also to do good; thus the rituals and rites as well as the ethics and the etiquettes of religion.
Understanding Life and Existence
