This article first appeared in Forum, The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on March 7 - 14, 2016.

Can a government committee to promote inter-faith understanding be a binding force for our religious communities or would its voice be drowned by the quarrelling champions of different faiths in Malaysia?

The answer depends very much on the mission that the committee sets for itself as well as the mode that it chooses to operate in.

Indeed, the Committee to Promote Understanding and Harmony among Religious Adherents, which entered its sixth year late last month, is perfectly placed to demonstrate how followers of various faiths can discuss the differences and similarities in their beliefs, doctrines, approaches and practices in an atmosphere of relaxed acceptance of diversity and polarity as inherent qualities in the human experience.

It is important to note that for such a forum to be fruitful in a meaningful way, the basis for engagement among its members must be the achievement of the common good, rather than the assertion of each group’s rights in a contested space. In other words, the committee cannot produce wholesome outcomes without going beyond a political approach to its group dynamics.

Ironically, if any members of the group choose to cling to the certainty of their own notions about religion as the key to the beyond, it is unlikely that they would be able to tap into the positive attitudes that should guide such a caucus.

So, it is vital that the committee’s work is guided by a spirit of fellow feeling that unites all humanity in its embrace. Ideas that emanate from this space would be clearly more likely to generate harmony than those that are rooted in a narrow outlook centred on one’s beliefs.

Through this process of grounded dialoging, the committee, which incorporates a broad spectrum of religious institutions in the country, can show Malaysians that the core teachings of all religions share a common vocabulary that is based on universal love.

Keeping this core quality in focus, it is possible to see that all the discord that surrounds the practice of the different faiths, their promotion, defence and exercise of various rights arises out of a failure to appreciate the unifying nature of that love.

It follows therefore that in that exalted state, which all the great spiritual teachers demonstrated in their lives, nothing is excluded from the flow of compassion that we can feel in ourselves if we stay tuned to that force.

Although such a rarified idea may not resonate with ordinary folk, who would be more likely to honour the gut instinct for self-preservation instead, it is important to recognise this principle as a bedrock of the world’s religions.

Nevertheless, the ordinary person would relate to the idea of a common bond with all beings, by sharing the burden of the less fortunate, caring for the ill and similar good deeds.

It has been said that the golden rule of all ethical behaviour, which is to do unto others as we would be done by, is derived from this idea of universal love. Perhaps this teaching more than any other ought to be inculcated in society as an antidote to the poison of selfishness that breeds indifference, hatred and cruelty towards others.

The fact that we do not generally act in harmony with that unconditional love should give us a clue as to why we find so much to quarrel with in our daily lives, and of course, including when the emotionally-charged issues involving our faiths show up.

It is time that we allow ourselves to experience a broader vision of religion’s role in our lives and in society where we judge people by the quality of their humanity rather than the emblems of religious practice that they may display.

Of course, one should be free to follow the prescriptions of one’s religion, but let us not assume that a person who does not demonstrate the articles of his faith is somehow a lesser human being. Indeed, the religious literature of the world has many examples like that of the Pharisees of the New Testament, who were rebuked by Jesus for observing the letter of the law but neglecting its more important essence — justice, mercy and faithfulness.

For the inter-faith committee, the opportunity to align the nation’s dialogue on religious matters towards a more compassionate focal point is a precious one. If it succeeds in that effort, the nation could enjoy a valua-

ble dividend in religious harmony that the next generation can be greatly thankful for.

One possible outcome from the cultivation of such a compassionate dimension in inter-faith relations is that the larger civil society could build on the work of the committee to spread the message throughout society. Visualise citizens groups at the local level creating inter-faith circles to spread goodwill and religious understanding in the community.

If we can make that happen, our day in the sun may just have begun.

R B Bhattacharjee is associate editor at The Edge

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