What it means to be Malaysian

A foreigner reading the local news of late would be left with the impression that Malaysians were an unhappy lot – paranoid that their respective communities were under threat and quick to provoke or threaten other Malaysians in the name of their race or personal beliefs.

There are reports of Malay rights groups claiming that Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia containing the word "Allah" are a threat to Islam, despite the use of the word by Malaysians of indigenous descent – or Christian Bumiputeras – for more than a century.

Islamist groups, meanwhile, have made inflammatory remarks, including labelling Malaysians of Chinese descent "trespassers" and claiming non-Muslims wanted to remove Malay rights and destroy the sovereignty of Malaysia and Islam.

News of a Taoist funeral and a Hindu wedding being disrupted within the same week by Islamic religious enforcement officers, who claimed they were defending Islam by taking away the body of a Chinese and detaining the Hindu bride, respectively, have left many angry and bewildered that such incidents are occurring in a modern, multicultural society. That both incidents happened in states ruled by the federal opposition, Pakatan Rakyat, could also be a mere coincidence.

Then there are the bitter custody battles between mixed-faith couples into which the police have waded by refusing to act on court orders that favoured the non-Muslim spouse, leaving the spouses bereft of justice and opening up room for arguments whether civil or religious courts should have the last say on such matters.

A long-standing row between Muslims and Christians over the use of the word "Allah" has not ended despite the highest court upholding a ban on the Church’s use of the word in one of its publications.

Yesterday, a bloodied severed cow's head was found on the doorstep of a Penang state lawmaker, who had angered many from the federal ruling party when he said "Umno celaka" (Umno be damned) in the state legislative assembly.

The incident was roundly condemned by politicians from both sides of the divide, and was a reminder to ordinary folk that peace and harmony meant acceptance and tolerance.

Throughout all this, the spectre of May 13 is constantly raised – not only as a reminder of what could happen to Malaysia should citizens turn on one another, but a threat used by one racial community to quell another.

But it would be a mistake to stereotype all Malaysians based on what a few individuals, claiming to be their community’s representatives, say.

To prove this, The Malaysian Insider took to the streets recently to ask people from various backgrounds one question: “What does it mean to be Malaysian?”

Read more : http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/on-being-malaysian