Saturday, October 21, 2006
Of bargains and prayer
Malaysiakini recently published the comments of an indignant Perak Mufti Harussani Zakaria who complained to an Agence France Presse reporter about the decidedly unholy behaviour of some Muslims who seem more keen to snap up bargains at the numerous shopping bazaars popping up all across the country during Ramadhan, instead of engaging in pious reflection with their fellow brethrens. While I respect the Mufti’s views on this matter, I am also a firm believer that faith cannot be forced upon an individual. It is after all, a personal relationship between an individual and God. Just as there are a myriad number of believers, there will also be a varying, almost countless number of ways individuals reach out to Him in matters of the spirit that would differ from one person to another.
Even a casual dissection of any religion will reveal a spectrum of differentiation, in virtually all facets of that belief system. In Islam for instance, there are various sects that reaches out to God in differing ways. In Malaysia, the government blacklists many Islamic groups periodically on the basis that the beliefs advocated by these clusters are deviant. It is not just Islam but all religions have teeming sub-terranian life composed of divergent beliefs living contently in the background of the mainstream faith. In Christianity, there are a dizzying number of sects – Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Baptist, Methodist - which in turn give birth to more variations of smaller groups who think their private road to salvation works best for them, while embracing the greater call of the religion. For many others, formal procedures i.e rituals may not be of any use at all to them. Just as there are nonchalant Hindus, Christians, there are also a fair number of dispassionate Muslims. And no amount of cajoling and foot stomping by the good Mufti is going to change that. Our government has fastidiously urged people to up consumer spending. It is thus, no surprise then that during the holy month of Ramadhan, the sumptuous break fast buffets and the bargains are proving to be more attractive to some than pursuits of a religious bent. ¶ 12:37 AM
Even a casual dissection of any religion will reveal a spectrum of differentiation, in virtually all facets of that belief system. In Islam for instance, there are various sects that reaches out to God in differing ways. In Malaysia, the government blacklists many Islamic groups periodically on the basis that the beliefs advocated by these clusters are deviant. It is not just Islam but all religions have teeming sub-terranian life composed of divergent beliefs living contently in the background of the mainstream faith. In Christianity, there are a dizzying number of sects – Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Baptist, Methodist - which in turn give birth to more variations of smaller groups who think their private road to salvation works best for them, while embracing the greater call of the religion. For many others, formal procedures i.e rituals may not be of any use at all to them. Just as there are nonchalant Hindus, Christians, there are also a fair number of dispassionate Muslims. And no amount of cajoling and foot stomping by the good Mufti is going to change that. Our government has fastidiously urged people to up consumer spending. It is thus, no surprise then that during the holy month of Ramadhan, the sumptuous break fast buffets and the bargains are proving to be more attractive to some than pursuits of a religious bent. ¶ 12:37 AM
