Malaysia loses faith in secular
studies By Ioannis Gatsiounis
KUALA LUMPUR - In an effort to promote the
rights of non-Muslims and better educate students of
different faiths in Malaysia, the leader of this
multi-ethnic Islamic state's largest Indian political
party, the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), has proposed
replacing moral studies with religious studies for
non-Muslim students.
S Samy Vellu, president of
the MIC, raised the proposal in mid-June at the 27th
annual meeting of the Malaysian Hindu Sangam, a
Hindu-focused non-governmental organization, saying it
would help overcome social ills among Indian students
who were not benefiting from moral education.
As
it stands, Muslim students in primary and secondary
schools attend compulsory Islamic-studies classes
several times a week, while non-Muslim students are
divided out to study secular-based morals.
Some
groups, such as the Sangam, have been urging the
government to allow non-Muslims to study their various
religions - Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity - in school
since the early 1980s. But according to Sangam's
president, A Vaithilingam, this is the first time a
government minister has voiced his support.
Which raises the question, why now?
Much
of it has to do with the change in leadership. Prime
Minister Abdullah Badawi is widely believed to be more
receptive and liberal-minded than his predecessor, the
iron-fisted Mahathir Mohamad, who retired last October
after more than two decades in power.
Whether
Abdullah takes up, let alone follows through on, the
proposal is anyone's guess, as many of his early
promises regarding reform appear to have stalled. But
Vellu's proposal is important for another reason; it
raises the larger question: How are relations among the
peninsula's three major ethnic groups, the majority
Muslim Malays, the Indians and the Chinese - by most
accounts worse than they were 30 years ago when schools
were more integrated and the Islamic revival had not yet
begun - being affected by the current school curriculum?
Schools, like political parties, are typically
divided according to race; most Chinese students attend
private schools, because they feel the quality of
education at public schools has eroded and, for some,
become too religious, while most Malays attend public
schools.
The Malaysian government has doggedly
discouraged discussion of race and religion, for fear
that the various communities are not mature enough to
talk through their differences. On the other hand, it
advertises plenty to convince Malaysians (and
foreigners, particularly investors) that theirs is a
"land of perfect harmony" where the various communities
eagerly attend one another's holiday festivities. But
most Malaysians when pressed will confess that the
operative word is "tolerance" - the minimum required to
prevent another flare-up like that in 1969, when race
riots changed the course and dynamic of the nation.
Since that time, the various communities have been
careful not to offend, spewing any pent-up grievances
behind closed doors and only among their own.
Meanwhile, the school curriculum has no program
designed to teach students about one another's faiths.
Some observers say revising the policy would run the
risk of political fallout - all political parties in
Malaysia are race-based. Others suspect the policy has
remained because the government fears it will become a
gateway to conversion; Malay Muslims make up 60% of the
population, a narrow majority of which Mahathir was fond
of reminding Malays, his core constituency.
Yedullah Kazmi, associate professor of
philosophy at the International Islamic University
Malaysia, says fears of conversion are irrational. He
described a time when he was more knowledgeable about
other faiths than Islam, but never did it challenge his
faith to Islam. "Studying of other religions over the
years has aided my understanding of Islam," he said.
Kazmi's colleague, education Professor Rosnani
Hashim, added that "any fear of conversion is out of
ignorance. The purpose [of revising the curriculum to
include inter-faith religious studies] would not be for
conversion. Successful nation-building depends on
greater knowledge of our traditions and backgrounds."
Indeed, Malaysia, looking beyond economic progress to
spiritual, civil, intellectual, entrepreneurial and
democratic growth, is far behind on its stated goal of
becoming a fully developed country by 2020.
Even
economically it is at a crossroads, worrying to a
growing number of analysts, as China and India divert
foreign direct investment (FDI) away from Malaysia.
For this reason, said Wingh Thye Woo, professor
of economics at the University of California, Davis, it
is important that Malaysia think beyond establishing an
ideal, unified national identity; it must rethink what
it will take to be economically competitive in the 21st
century.
Others say greater cultural pluralism
and economic growth in Malaysia are in many ways
inextricable, and with an increasing number of
Chinese-Malaysians attending private schools and Malays
attending public schools, the cultural divide might
prove to be a hindrance to cooperation and productivity.
As Wingh put it, "There needs to be a sea change
in our approach to politics."
In Malaysia
religion is often at the heart of political policy and
ideology (Islam is the official religion, though the
constitution allows for freedom of religion). And yet
many Malaysians, particularly younger Malaysians, remain
ignorant of each other's mores and traditions, said an
official in the Education Ministry.
Some
interfaith groups, such as the World Council of Muslims
for Interfaith Relations, hold conferences between
Malaysia's major religious communities - Muslim, Hindu,
Buddhist and Christian, among other faiths. But rarely
do these conferences reach younger people, admitted a
council member. And reaching younger people directly,
particularly in this era when misconceptions about Islam
have abounded, is vital for well-rounded development of
the nation, said the council member.
Kazmi said
Vellu's endorsement is welcome and could lead to better
things. However, he said, comparative religion is not
the solution. "There's a tendency to feel threatened if
there's too much direct comparison," causing a retreat
into one's own, and potentially manifesting the opposite
of that intended. Better, he said, "to approach it from
a unique religious experience perspective".
The
official with the Education Ministry said civic studies
will be introduced next year in primary schools, and
with that, the basic tenants of various religions and
customs may be taught. History classes currently provide
space to learn about religions but several graduates of
Malaysian schools said an hour or two at most were spent
on the subject.
Meanwhile, according to an
assistant with the Education Ministry, a pilot program
will be launched this month at 48 schools around
Malaysia. It will see to it that Muslim students finish
the Koran by Grade 6, and learn more Jawi,
Malay language in Arabic script, more quickly.
But even then some question the logic, reasoning
that what Malaysia needs to fulfill its potential is
less religion, not more.
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