Bismillahirrahmanirrahim
Imagine.
You were born in a
multiracial country.
Your parents were also
born in this country while your grandparents were immigrant from other country.
You grew up, sent to
local schools, have friends from the same and different races and eat same cuisines
that other people do.
After you got a degree
or two, you found a job and work to support yourself and family besides
contributing to the country.
You love your country. You love and respect your
friends despite their races.
And generally, you are different
from people of the other races are only in language, appearance, and maybe
religion.
Yet, you are treated as
the second-class citizen because of your parents’ or grandparents’ origin.
Not enough with that,
you are accused that you will betray your country and other races anytime just because
you are from certain race, no matter how much you love and contribute to your
country.
Is this fair?
No.
Well, I am not credible
enough to talk about issues due to my limited knowledge, but this issue is so
disturbing that I want to share my point of view.
The current issue of
post-election on “Chinese Tsunami”. Our prime minister attacked the Chinese and
played this racial issue to scare the Malays that Chinese will conquer and rule
the Malays and Malaysia.
What a childish and
immature way to summarize the situation.
It is true in Malaysia
that the Chinese is number one in economic and business activity among other
races. Whether they achieve it in an ethical way or not, it is varied from
people to people and from groups to groups, which is a different issue that I do
not wish to discuss in this post.
But, I believe that they
managed to be successful in many fields not because the Chinese want to take
over the country but because they worked hard to survive.
Thanks to us who treat
them as the second-class citizen aka non-bumiputera.
It is true that the
Chinese and Indians are far from being treated similarly as the African Americans
once were in United Stated, but they were not given the same rights that the
Bumiputera folks were offered. As the results, they decided to struggle and
work hard while the Bumiputeras are content being honored as the ancestor of
Tanah Melayu and stay in the comfort zone. If this unfairness is practiced 30-40 years ago,
maybe it is still acceptable. However we are entering Malaysia’s 56th
anniversary of independence and 13th years from the new millennium
where I think almost all the Chinese and Indians alive today are local-born but
we still practice this inequity. This is why they unite to change the system
and to fight their rights that have been denied all these time.
Meanwhile, some of us (the
Malays) are paranoid that the Chinese will take over the government and afraid
that our privilege as the Bumiputera citizen will be seized. What an immature way
of thinking. This shows that we are so content in our comfort zone and to
travel beyond this zone is unthinkable and scary. Besides that, after all these
years that we have been offered many bumiputera aids and allocation for education
and business opportunities, most of the time and most of us do not grab the
chances, do not struggle, so carefree and always take shortcut and easy way of
doing things. Moreover, when our neighbors excel in something, out of spite and
jealousy, we talk behind their back, spread rumors and lies or worse use evil tactics
or dark magic to send them to their dooms.
Easy way to put it,
We are the ones who do
not work hard and we blame the Chinese for being successful?
We are the ones who do
not unite and we blame the Chinese for being united?
Of course not all Bumis
and non-Bumis are as describes above.
I do not like to
generalize. Right is right, wrong is wrong.
That is why we need to learn
to think and to be sensitive of others.
Talk to others,
understand their background and circumstances, consider their views, and do not
easily judge others by their race.
Do not be selfish, indifference,
only care about yourself, your interest and the narrow world surrounding you.
We all are human. How
our body, mind and soul work and react are the same.
And some say they want
to protect Muslims? There are many Chinese and Indian Muslims out there. Are they
not our brothers and sisters?
Islam never taught us
to glorify one group while discriminate another, ridicule others, and be overly-suspicious
but encourage us to get to know and understand others.
11. O you who have believed, let not a people
ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women
ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult
one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is
the name of disobedience after [one's] faith. And whoever does not repent -
then it is those who are the wrongdoers.
12. O you who have believed, avoid much
[negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or
backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when
dead? You would detest it. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is Accepting of
repentance and Merciful.
13. O mankind, indeed We have created you from
male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another.
Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of
you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.
[al-Hujraat,
49:11-13]
Islam also teaches us
to help the poor and needy.
Rather than focusing on
race and religion but on whether they need help or not, then the right people
will get support based on their needs and every person will get his/her right.
Isn’t that justice?
Isn’t that the Malaysia
that we want to build?
If people of other
religions misunderstood Islam, that means that we Muslims still have a lot of
work to do to make sure they understand and gladly to be Islam’s ally if not
embrace it.
Last but not least, I
beg all of you who spend time to read this view of mine.
Please.
Please think rationally,
realistically, empathically, critically.
Please THINK.
Wallahua’lam. And Allah
knows best.
