Inter-religious engagement in Malaysia: the muftis’ views

Islam has endorsed few ethics in dealing with the non-Muslims that reflect tolerance and compassion instead of prejudice and aversion. These ethics can be found in few Quranic verses such as verse 125 from surah al-Nahl, verse 34 from surah Fussilat and many more. It is crucial to be adopted in religiously and culturally diverse country like Malaysia. However, there are still few Muslims exhibit their antipathy and exclusive attitudes towards the non-Muslim, which hinders from Islam. This study attempts to explore muftis’ views on the issue of inter-religious engagement and attitudes towards the non-Muslims in Malaysia. The muftis are chosen because due to their role in the state-level religious bureaucracy and whose opinions will have a great influence on Muslims in general and three of them was a concerned in this study. Phenomenological research design was adopted for this study with in depth-interview as the main instrument. The finding suggests that all muftis demonstrate their tolerance and inclusive attitude towards the non-Muslim and they have proposed few methods in inter-religious engagement such as education, akhlaq and inter-religious dialogue. The recommendations made envisaged to influence the Muslims attitude. Future research therefore should focus on the reality of inter-religious engagement among the grassroots in general

The Muftis dispositions and religious conservatism in Malaysia

The flourishing of Islamic cultures and lifestyles among Malaysian Muslim society in the form Islamic way of dressing, Islamic greetings and mushrooming of Islamic programs or events are perceived as manifestations of conservatism. Increased conservatism however is also associated with exclusive attitude, discrimination and persecution against the nonMuslims and other minority groups. The Islamic bureaucracy in Malaysia such as the SharÊÑah courts, National Fatwa Council and the Islamic Religious Department are deemed responsible for the creeping conservatism among Malaysian Muslim society. Present study therefore focuses on the Malaysian muftis since they are part of the bureaucracy. Apart from exploring the Muftis stances on few areas in order to measure their conservatism, this study also attempts to reassess the concept of conservatism itself. Six muftis have been interviewed including the Perlis Mufti, Penang Mufti, Perak Mufti, Federal Territories Mufti, Pahang Mufti and Melaka Mufti. This study proposes a revised concept of conservatism based on its theological underpinning. Theologically, conservatism denotes the idea of reliance on revelation and refutation of sole dependence on human reason in resolving issues and problems as propagated by Edmund Burke as a counter-response to the revolutionaries’ ideas. In the context of present study, conservatism implies the idea of preservation and upholding the original Islamic teachings that are based on the Qur’Én and Íadith. Conservatism therefore is not related to the negative attitudes and actions as commonly understood. Based on this concept of conservatism, the muftis’ dispositions could be categorized as conservative. They however differ in the manner of interpretation and contextualization of the revelation. Some of them are more progressive while some others are more traditional in their interpretations

Inter-religious Dialogue in Malaysia:Past Experience, Present Scenario and Future Challenges

Inter-religious dialogue in Malaysia has taken place more than a century ago either in the form of ‘dialogue of life’ or in the form of intellectual discourse. ‘Dialogue of life’ normally occurs in a superficial ways of interaction such as ‘open house’ during festive seasons and daily interaction in market places, offices or schools while dialogue in the form of intellectual discourse occurs in official events such as forum, seminar and public lecture. Earliest endeavours of inter-religious dialogue were championed by non-Muslim organizations with the aim to protect their rights that was allegedly threatened with the execution of Islamization policy in 1980s. The involvement of Muslim’s organizations could only be seen until 1990s with a pioneering attempt by Center for Civilizational Dialogue (University of Malaya) in 1995 that aimed to generate greater inter-religious understanding. The implementation of inter-religious dialogue in the form of intellectual discourse however is still limited due to its nature which is apparently more appealing to the intellectuals’ community. On top of that, inter-religious dialogue also facing constant objections by some critics due to misunderstanding of the actual goals of inter-religious dialogue. Therefore, correct understanding about the concept of inter-religious dialogue must be nurtured among the masses prior to commencing any inter-religious dialogue program

Elemen Kerohanian dalam Program Kebersihan Sekolah Menengah di Negeri Selangor Darul Ehsan

Kebersihan kawasan persekitaran yang baik mendorong pelestarian sebuah tamadun yang stabil. Pada tahun 2004, Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia (KPM) telah memperkenalkan Program Peningkatan Keselamatan, Kebersihan dan Keindahan Alam Sekitar Sekolah (Program 3K). Program ini merupakan penambahbaikan kepada program sedia ada iaitu Program Sekolah Selamat, Program Kesihatan dan Kebersihan serta Program Keceriaan dan Keindahan Sekolah yang dimulakan sejak tahun 1991. Program ini berjaya mengubah pemandangan kawasan sekolah yang lebih ceria dan selamat. Kajian ini berhasrat melihat keberkesanan Program 3K dengan mengenal pasti persepsi, tingkah laku positif dan pembentukan sahsiah pelajar. Hasil kajian mendapati beberapa perkara penting antaranya; secara keseluruhan pengetahuan pelajar terhadap Program 3K berada pada tahap sederhana, secara keseluruhan penerapan elemen-elemen Kerohanian dalam program penjagaan kebersihan dalam Program 3K adalah pada tahap sederhana, persepsi pelajar terhadap keberkesanan Program 3K di sekolah khususnya komponen kebersihan adalah positif, tingkah laku pelajar terhadap penjagaan kebersihan di luar kawasan sekolah adalah positif, persepsi pelajar terhadap tanggungjawab menjaga kebersihan adalah negatif dan perkaitan songsang antara tahap pengetahuan dengan tingkah laku pelajar iaitu semakin tinggi tahap pengetahuan pelajar semakin rendah akhlak pelajar. Data dikumpul melalui pengedaran borang soal selidik. Alat kajian yang digunakan dibina sendiri dengan perbincangan bersama penyelia. Soal selidik diedarkan kepada 300 pelajar di negeri Selangor. Data yang diperoleh diproses menggunakan perisian IBM SPSS Statistics 20. Teknik analisis deskriptif digunakan untuk menilai tahap pengetahuan dan persepsi, ujian-t untuk melihat perbezaan antara pelajar bandar dengan luar bandar dan korelasi bagi melihat perkaitan tahap pengetahuan pelajar terhadap tingkah laku pelajar. Keputusan boleh disimpulkan bahawa tahap pengetahuan pelajar terhadap Program 3K tidak mendorong perilaku positif pelajar dalam menjaga kebersihan kawasan persekitaran. Hal ini disebabkan pelaksanaan dan penerapan aspek kerohanian begitu lemah dan tidak diberikan perhatian dalam membina perilaku dan jati diri pelajar. Hal ini tidak menepati FPK yang bermatlamatkan pelajar seimbang dan menyeluruh dengan menerapkan empat komponen iaitu jasmani, emosi, rohani dan intelek

Inter-religious dialogue models in Malaysia

Over the years, many organizations have involved in the implementation of inter-religious dialogue in Malaysia. However, there are still those who doubt the role and purpose of interreligious dialogue. This might be due to lack of information and understanding regarding the methodology of dialogue and also about different types that it may take. The present study is aimed at exploring a few models of inter-religious dialogue that have been practised by some organizations that actively involved in dialogue. The study focuses on a review of selected organizational or institutional dialogue models such as Center for Civilizational Dialogue (CCD), Students Representative Council of Malaysia Science University (Health Campus) and Inter-faith Spiritual Fellowship (INSaF). This study provides information concerning the various designs of inter-religious dialogue model in Malaysia and proposes that different designs of inter-religious dialogue rely on its different types and goals. It is found that, the commonly practiced type of dialogue in Malaysia is educational type which focuses on exploring inter-religious commonalities as well as differences which consequently will increase understanding and foster meaningful engagement between people of different ethnic and religious background in Malaysia. This type of dialogue is distinguished from conflict resolution types of dialogue which aims at identifying issues and generating action plans to conflicts or disputes

Kesan kerjasama dalam aktiviti berkumpulan terhadap kualiti perhubungan pelajar berbilang etnik di Universiti Putra Malaysia

Kepelbagaian dan kerencaman dari segi budaya, etnik dan agama sememangnya menjadi kebanggaan rakyat Malaysia. Namun begitu, Malaysia masih tidak lekang daripada isu-isu etnik dan agama yang sensitif. Contoh terkini adalah isu pergaduhan antara etnik di Plaza Low Yat pada tahun 2015. Kejadian ini telah menimbulkan persoalan samada hubungan antara etnik di Malaysia kian rapuh? Jika benar, apakah mekanisme untuk memperbaiki hubungan ini? Menurut Teori Perhubungan (Contact Theory) yang diperkenalkan oleh Gordon Allport (1954), hubungan antara etnik dapat diperbaiki sekiranya sesuatu perhubungan itu memenuhi empat syarat iaitu persamaan status, persamaan matlamat, keizinan pihak berkuasa dan interaksi yang melibatkan kerjasama. Justeru, kajian ini adalah satu percubaan untuk mengaplikasikan Teori Perhubungan ini dalam aktiviti berkumpulan pelajar di Universiti Putra Malaysia dengan memberikan tumpuan pada aspek kerjasama. Untuk tujuan ini, sebuah eksperimen telah dijalankan dalam kalangan pelajar yang mengambil kursus (Tamadun Islam dan Tamadun Asia) TITAS dan Hubungan Etnik. Pelajar telah dibahagikan kepada satu kumpulan eksperimen, satu kumpulan kawalan dan dua kumpulan perbandingan. Kumpulan eksperimen dan kumpulan perabandingan telah diberikan tugasan yang mempunyai sifat dan tahap kerjasama yang berbeza. Menurut hasil analisis ANOVA, tahap integrasi yang tinggi dan kerjasama antara pelajar yang berbilang etnik mempunyai kesan terhadap kualiti perhubungan. Hasil kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa sesuatu perhubungan yang berkualiti dan baik itu perlu disertai dengan empat elemen yang dicadangkan dan sebaliknya akan berlaku jika sesuatu perhubungan itu tidak disertai empat elemen tersebut

Inter-religious dialogue: detrimental to aqidah or medium of da'awah

The implementation of inter-religious dialogue in Malaysia is still less encouraging, although it has been implemented for a few decades. This reality is apparently associated with scepticism towards inter-religious dialogue itself. Inter-religious dialogue is often misunderstood as a platform to promote religious pluralism which is detrimental to aqidah. However, a case study conducted on three Islamic organizations namely Islamic Propagation Society International (IPSI), Institut Kefahaman Islam Malaysia (IKIM) and Islamic Information Services (IIS) conveyed that these organizations had implemented inter-religious dialogue as part of their da’wah efforts. This study aims at exploring the implementation of inter-religious dialogue in Malaysia, assessing the role of inter-religious dialogue in da’wah as stated in the Quran and, examining Islamic organizations involve in inter-religious dialogue and da’wah. This study offers a novelty in the realm of inter-religious dialogue where it combines socio-psychological and theological framework in gauging inter-religious dialogue in Malaysia. The findings from this study yields practical implication for the dialogue practitioners and organizations to enrich their own dialogue models based on the types and designs of dialogue identified in this research. The findings also proves that dialogue is harmless to aqidah, in fact it is a medium to spread da’wah

The integration of exoteric and esoteric: towards a more holistic Islamic practice

In recent years, Malaysian Muslims seem to have experienced an upsurge in religious awareness and practices. The increasing religious trends could be seen from the mode of dressing especially among the Muslim women such as the wearing of hijab and niqab; the use of Arabic words to replace the Malay words in daily conversation and greeting such as solat to replace sembahyang, iftar to replace buka puasa and Eid Mubarak to replace Selamat Hari Raya and the mushrooming of religious programs and events such as World #QuranHour and Malam Cinta Rasul. Unfortunately, despite these inspiring Islamic awareness and practices, issues related to morality, crimes, discrimination, corruption and other unethical conducts associated with the Muslims are also on the rise. This is due to the fact that what seems to have increased are only the exoteric dimension of the religion i.e. the exterior rules, regulations and visible practices, not the esoteric part i.e. the interiority and the spirituality. This paper aims at exploring the phenomenon of the pervasiveness of the exoteric aspect of religion compared to the esoteric aspect and assessing the consequences of the imbalance between these two dimensions. The expression of exoteric dimensions solely without the cultivation of the esoteric part has rendered bad impression and misinterpretation of the true Islamic teaching. A holistic Islamic practice that encompasses both exoteric and esoteric dimensions is essential for producing the best ummah

Malaysian youth's views on elements in taking selfie

The trend of selfies has become a new culture in society. Social networking sites have offered individuals, especially youth, opportunities to present themselves. This study aims to understand what elements Malaysian youth consider when taking a selfie. A sequential mixed method research approach was used first to collect qualitative data through the focused-group discussion method and then by a survey's quantitative data. Two focus group discussions were held to gather the youth's opinions, and the qualitative data were used to build a questionnaire and distributed to 395 youth in Klang Valley of Malaysia. The results show that the youth consider three significant elements, i.e., situational, technical, and social. Among the factors, overall, the technical factor is the most critical (mean = 4.587), followed by the social factor (mean = 4.541) and lastly situational factor (mean = 4.106). However, one of the items in the social factor outstands the others (mean = 5.005). The youths deemed that taking selfies with friends and others without considering their religious and ethnic background is the most important thing. This study concluded that even though the youths pay more attention to how to take a good selfie technically but at the same time, they do consider being inclusive towards other ethnic groups in their social life