Cool Heads Must Prevail In These Difficult Times

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There is just too much hurt felt by many Malaysians on social media over the relocation of the Hindu temple off Jalan Masjid India, Kuala Lumpur. Insensitive comments are being spewed by people of all backgrounds, with some not caring two hoots about violating sedition laws.
Let’s face the reality. This issue is not an ordinary one as it hits core sentiments of Malaysians, whether non-Muslims or otherwise, but none of those making comments online have moderate voices or promote shared values.
Insults are being thrown around in crude language devoid of sensible arguments. Some are downright seditious, including one actually calling for the bombing of the temple. Although it was a stupid comment, the authorities should act on it to stop copycats.
The uproar over the relocation of the Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman temple has been wrongly portrayed as a government decision to demolish the Hindu temple and build a mosque in its place. The reality was that it was the landowner who planned this.
However, fears of government involvement must have arisen from the move to name the proposed mosque “Masjid Madani”, with reports saying Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will be performing the ground-breaking ceremony on March 27.
Most of the comments are very one-sided when they should be actually addressing the concerns of Muslims while also advocating for the rights of non-Muslims at the same time. I believe that is the Malaysia most people want to see.
The outcome of negotiations is likely to please only one party, going by the legal arguments put forth so far, and the landowner’s decision is likely to eventually prevail. It is quite inevitable by the look of things, and that has to be accepted in good faith by all.
We all know that this is not the first religious controversy involving a temple and it surely won’t be the last. Anwar himself experienced it when he was deputy prime minister in the 1990s.
So instead of dousing fires each time they start burning, the Madani government needs to have many consultation processes in place when it involves houses of worship.
Most importantly, educating Malaysians from secondary schools to tertiary level on the art of religious and racial coexistence will go a long way.
Interfaith clubs and dialogue
Encouraging open dialogue among different religious communities can help build understanding and reduce misconceptions. The education ministry should seriously consider introducing interfaith clubs as a co-curricular activity.
The government can facilitate interfaith forums where leaders from various religions can discuss common values and address grievances. This approach can help mitigate fears and foster a sense of community among Malaysia’s diverse population.
There is a need to start with youths.Their engagement is vital for long-term peace-building programmes that involve young people from different backgrounds in community service and cultural exchange initiatives. This will help foster friendships and collaborations among them.
In the long run, these can help cultivate a generation that values diversity and coexistence and a better nation for all. And their children will pass this on to the next generation.
Religious rhetoric on social media
Each time there is a religious conflict, social media becomes a significant platform for extremely sensitive political discourse. Instead of helping resolve impasses, they tend to exacerbate religious and ethnic tensions.
How can we tackle such hate speech blatantly published in social media? We are talking about huge numbers daily and it won’t be easy.
Utilising advanced artificial intelligence tools to help detect harmful content and remove incitements to violence or discrimination could be effective.
It would also be extremely useful to have a Racial Discrimination Act that specifically defines hate speech and sectarian rhetoric.
Real-time monitoring of hate speech in social media can help effectively identify emerging race and religious narratives before they go viral. This will allow for timely intervention when harmful content is detected and prevent the spread of inflammatory messages.
A plea from the heart
A recent viral TikTok clip of a young Hindu girl touched many hearts with her passionate message of “I am just a Malaysian, why hate me?”
She said she could not understand why her community was disliked so much when they have made their fair share of contributions, like the other communities, in building up Malaysia.
She ended with a plea to let her community survive as Malaysians with their respective rights as Malaysia is their only home. This is telling indeed. - FMT
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.

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