Start them young, says DPM

PETALING JAYA: To promote interfaith understanding, the National Unity and Integration Department of the Prime Minister's Department and the Education Ministry have organised the World Interfaith Week.

The programme, which was launched by Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday at Sri Aman Girls Secondary School, is slated to be an annual affair.

Muhyiddin quoted Prof Dr Kamar Oniah Kamaruzaman of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) in her book Religion and Pluralistic Co-Existence – The Muhibah Perspective on the five main principles to ensure harmony among religions and communities is maintained:

"Do not interfere and intervene in the internal affairs of other religions and races; acknowledge, understand and respect the differences and sensitivities of other religions and races; practice of sympathy and empathy, being kind to people and treating them the way they like to be treated; cooperate as a society by generating and acting on the parallel ethics for the benefit of all; and uniting in diversity to love the nation by fostering the spirit of loyalty and high sense of patriotism."

He said that unlike other countries that were plagued by wars, fighting and crises, Malaysians respected each other's religions and also celebrated each other's religious holidays.

"Malaysia already practises peace and harmony among religions, allowing it to develop as a country," he said. He said a country could not develop without peace.

"It is my opinion that we should begin the respect for religions in schools, appreciate our diversity and practise not just tolerance, but acceptance," he said.

The launch was also attended by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (national unity and performance management) Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, Education Department director-general Datuk Seri Abdul Ghafar Mahmud, National Unity and Integration Department director general Datuk Azman Amin Hassan, Selangor deputy director of education Mahmud Karim, and students from six schools in the area.

Abdul Ghafar said the early part of the programme took place this month through university-level forums held in Kelantan.

He said but they were looking at organising co-curricular activities that would draw the attention of secondary school students.

Azman Amin said that during the forums on understanding in Kelantan, which involved 18 people from 10 nations, they had also visited places of worship of different faiths.

Selangor State Advisory Committee on Unity member Sanggat Singh Peshi said students had 10 years in school to be influenced by interfaith harmony.

"This year's theme is ‘harmonise'," he said, "It is the music of peace and muhibah (goodwill)."

The Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Malaysia director T.K. Lee said it is important to acknowledge the fundamental nature of humanity and the consciousness and oneness of mankind. "We should have no prejudice among ourselves as we are the flowers of one garden. No matter race or religion, we are basically one," he said.

Among the religions that were represented by the programme were Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and Sikhism.