I used the word 'trying' because the hard truth is, it's not easy to tolerate and respect differences, what more to work together despite them.
There are so many undercurrent feelings underneath the multiracial peace we keep portraying to ourselves and others when we talk about Singapore. The undercurrent has been frequently surpressed, mainly through the choice of media coverage but the hard truth is, it is there. The undercurrent speaks of deeply entrenched prejudices towards different ethnic groups. It is there. But despite that, the different ethnic communities have tried to keep it in check, have tried to swallow these thoughts (albeit unsuccessfully at times and so thank god for coffeeshops where unhappiness can be freely spewed out amidst kopi o and teh tarik, without being blackmarked or dragged for further questioning). And then to have someone as respectable as the Big Man say we have been unsuccessful in all our efforts to integrate, and to particularly highlight our community, is definitely a low blow.
And so now what do we do? Yes we are offended, pissed and totally disagree with his remarks. What the community does in response to his statements will be a reflection of what Islam represents. Like it or not, with Islam being so much in the limelight (for the wrong reasons, mainly) our actions are very much under scrutiny and whatever we do, is always quickly pointed out to have religious implications as opposed to individual preference.
In my humble opinion and based on what Ive read in an excerpt from the discussion sessions with a particular prominent scholar who came to Singapore in March 2006 to talk about "Embodying Quranic Values for the Modern World", it's important that we move beyond rhetoric. Many of us are fond of saying that Islam is a religion of peace. This is not enough. Instead we should be agents of change and establish peace through deeds. And hence, how we respond to the Big Man's comments, will be the true determinant of whether his comments are baseless or not. And if Islam is indeed a religion of peace.
But having said that, it is not to indicate that the community should just be quiet and accept all of his remarks with an open mind.
The excerpt I read goes on to mention that we must embody the spirit of jihad. Now, many will feel uncomfortable with this word but as many of us would know, the meaning of jihad had been miscontrued in so many different ways and thus its true meaning has been lost in so many of us. The gist of it, is "that jihad calls for one to speak truth against violations of values."
In this case with the Big Man, it is important that we respond to his remarks to state the reasons why we disagree. it's probably jihad in some level, though Im uncomfortable with the term. I totally disagree that we should just be quiet and accept what is being said. It is important that we make ourselves heard through embracing dialogue and discussion and definitely NOT driven by negative emotions and extreme actions. What we say is important but HOW we say it , is just as important.
But to be realistic, don't expect to change what he thinks about the religion. It is difficult to change a man, what more a man of 90 years. But it's not him we want to change but more correcting the misinformation which is engraved in print. It's the misinformation of Islam which is right now being absorbed by the million readers out there. That is what we are trying to change.
Lastly, what I find most interesting is to see how the community reacts to what he said. I especially enjoyed reading all the comments, forum discussions of different people in response to what the Big Man said. But as I read them, I do worry that the response is based on defending the PRIDE of our own community as opposed to correcting a man who is simply clueless about the simple truths of Islam.
And so now what do we do? Yes we are offended, pissed and totally disagree with his remarks. What the community does in response to his statements will be a reflection of what Islam represents. Like it or not, with Islam being so much in the limelight (for the wrong reasons, mainly) our actions are very much under scrutiny and whatever we do, is always quickly pointed out to have religious implications as opposed to individual preference.
In my humble opinion and based on what Ive read in an excerpt from the discussion sessions with a particular prominent scholar who came to Singapore in March 2006 to talk about "Embodying Quranic Values for the Modern World", it's important that we move beyond rhetoric. Many of us are fond of saying that Islam is a religion of peace. This is not enough. Instead we should be agents of change and establish peace through deeds. And hence, how we respond to the Big Man's comments, will be the true determinant of whether his comments are baseless or not. And if Islam is indeed a religion of peace.
But having said that, it is not to indicate that the community should just be quiet and accept all of his remarks with an open mind.
The excerpt I read goes on to mention that we must embody the spirit of jihad. Now, many will feel uncomfortable with this word but as many of us would know, the meaning of jihad had been miscontrued in so many different ways and thus its true meaning has been lost in so many of us. The gist of it, is "that jihad calls for one to speak truth against violations of values."
In this case with the Big Man, it is important that we respond to his remarks to state the reasons why we disagree. it's probably jihad in some level, though Im uncomfortable with the term. I totally disagree that we should just be quiet and accept what is being said. It is important that we make ourselves heard through embracing dialogue and discussion and definitely NOT driven by negative emotions and extreme actions. What we say is important but HOW we say it , is just as important.
But to be realistic, don't expect to change what he thinks about the religion. It is difficult to change a man, what more a man of 90 years. But it's not him we want to change but more correcting the misinformation which is engraved in print. It's the misinformation of Islam which is right now being absorbed by the million readers out there. That is what we are trying to change.
Lastly, what I find most interesting is to see how the community reacts to what he said. I especially enjoyed reading all the comments, forum discussions of different people in response to what the Big Man said. But as I read them, I do worry that the response is based on defending the PRIDE of our own community as opposed to correcting a man who is simply clueless about the simple truths of Islam.
