Friday, September 22, 2006
A little sensitivity please
Any place of worship is the result of an organised attempt by a group of people i.e followers of a particular religion to give offerings to the Almighty. The very act of prayer with all its ancient rituals gives succour and comfort to followers of a faith or a belief form. When that place of worship is molested or even destroyed by an external group, tempers will inevitably flare and men become possessed by a forceful energy boosted by a mixture of despair and naked rage. Religion is a powerful spiritual link to the afterlife, in essence, a direct link to God Himself. A destruction of a place of worship is akin to lopping off one's route to salvation in this life and the next.
In Iraq, sectarian violence is pitting Muslims against fellow Muslims. Some fanatical members of the Sunni-Muslim sect are hell bent on destroying the places of worship of their brothers of another sect - the Shias. Thousands have lost their lives in meaningless violence and bloodshed, purported in the name of the Almighty. The end result is a nation wracked by deep divisions that may only see any semblance of national healing decades from now, if ever; the rift between Sunnis and Shias despite being of one country grows wider due to attacks on each other's religious beliefs.
In India, the Hindus and Muslims have largely lived in peace for centuries but at intervals, terrible bloodshed in the name of the Gods had been committed by both sides with physical symbols of their respective beliefs singled out for destruction. Thousands lost their lives. In Pakistan, the minority Christian population periodically suffers from attacks on their churches.
In Malaysia, a string of Hindu temple demolitions were carried out by local government enforcement teams across the nation. While these structures were deemed illegal and hence, ready-made for destruction, it has caused great distress and anguish amongst not just the Hindu community but also of other faiths particularly Christians. Pleas to the King, the Prime Minister and even the Attorney General's office did not have the desired effect and the demolition teams continued to carry out their duties.
Why these Hindu temples were suddenly deemed to be illegal and thus earmarked for immediate destruction, can only be answered by the people who gave the greenlight for the night-time demolition jobs. Even if the demolition needed to be carried out and was supported by correct interpretation of the law, then there would be no need for Hindu deities and valuables in the temple to be desecrated. Such acts of desecrations were vividly described by temple caretakers who even took their woes to Parliament. At a time when the Abdullah administration is promoting Islam Hadhari as a platform for Malaysian civil society, these temple demolitions are a hindrance to better communal relations in the country.
Only when a non-governmental organisation Hindu Rights Action Force took their petition to the United Nations in August to officially halt temple demolitions after months of inaction from the authorities, did the government finally sit up and take notice. The Attorney General's office finally met with this NGO to gather more details about its plea to the government to resolve this sensitive issue. It is hoped that the AG's move is a prelude to a closure to this disturbing development. So far, the Federal government's stand on this matter remains murky.
The fact that the government only budged on an issue that is of tantamount importance to not just Hindus but also other non-Muslims and even Muslims only after the Hindu Rights Action Force took it to the international stage is disappointing. If the fear of international censure is the only way to get the Federal Government to take firm action against the wanton destruction of places of worship, then so be it. Malaysia has to recognise and acknowledge that fact that it is being watched by the community of nations. The good name of Malaysia is at stake. ¶ 2:27 PM
In Iraq, sectarian violence is pitting Muslims against fellow Muslims. Some fanatical members of the Sunni-Muslim sect are hell bent on destroying the places of worship of their brothers of another sect - the Shias. Thousands have lost their lives in meaningless violence and bloodshed, purported in the name of the Almighty. The end result is a nation wracked by deep divisions that may only see any semblance of national healing decades from now, if ever; the rift between Sunnis and Shias despite being of one country grows wider due to attacks on each other's religious beliefs.
In India, the Hindus and Muslims have largely lived in peace for centuries but at intervals, terrible bloodshed in the name of the Gods had been committed by both sides with physical symbols of their respective beliefs singled out for destruction. Thousands lost their lives. In Pakistan, the minority Christian population periodically suffers from attacks on their churches.
In Malaysia, a string of Hindu temple demolitions were carried out by local government enforcement teams across the nation. While these structures were deemed illegal and hence, ready-made for destruction, it has caused great distress and anguish amongst not just the Hindu community but also of other faiths particularly Christians. Pleas to the King, the Prime Minister and even the Attorney General's office did not have the desired effect and the demolition teams continued to carry out their duties.
Why these Hindu temples were suddenly deemed to be illegal and thus earmarked for immediate destruction, can only be answered by the people who gave the greenlight for the night-time demolition jobs. Even if the demolition needed to be carried out and was supported by correct interpretation of the law, then there would be no need for Hindu deities and valuables in the temple to be desecrated. Such acts of desecrations were vividly described by temple caretakers who even took their woes to Parliament. At a time when the Abdullah administration is promoting Islam Hadhari as a platform for Malaysian civil society, these temple demolitions are a hindrance to better communal relations in the country.
Only when a non-governmental organisation Hindu Rights Action Force took their petition to the United Nations in August to officially halt temple demolitions after months of inaction from the authorities, did the government finally sit up and take notice. The Attorney General's office finally met with this NGO to gather more details about its plea to the government to resolve this sensitive issue. It is hoped that the AG's move is a prelude to a closure to this disturbing development. So far, the Federal government's stand on this matter remains murky.
The fact that the government only budged on an issue that is of tantamount importance to not just Hindus but also other non-Muslims and even Muslims only after the Hindu Rights Action Force took it to the international stage is disappointing. If the fear of international censure is the only way to get the Federal Government to take firm action against the wanton destruction of places of worship, then so be it. Malaysia has to recognise and acknowledge that fact that it is being watched by the community of nations. The good name of Malaysia is at stake. ¶ 2:27 PM
