theSun says.

THE setting up of the inter-religious goodwill council by the Penang government is a good thing. The state must be commended for being the first to set up such a council which the government could consult and where the various religious leaders and elders could consult and inform each other so as to avoid stepping on each other’s toes.

Perhaps it comes almost naturally to Penang, especially to its capital of George Town, which has been a place where many religions coexisted and their adherents interacted peacefully for well over two centuries. There are big mosques, tall churches, towering temples and gurdwaras and also small ones, some of which had existed side by side or face to face for hundreds of years.

In the small enclave known as Little India alone, there are numerous mosques, churches, Chinese and Hindu temples. The enclave is often described as a study in religious and racial tolerance. Such is the goodwill generated that a Muslim restaurant in the enclave does not sell beef dishes simply because it is situated near a Hindu temple. Unknown to many outsiders, the tolerance and understanding came about with a some effort, informally of course, of the elders of the community living in it and outside.

Consultation has been a way of life with people in the community and every religious festival is carefully planned and adherents of the other faiths are informed much earlier to avoid problems. This informal inter-religious consultation is also a characteristic of most of the other towns in the state. Thus the inter-religious goodwill council is merely a formalisation of the consultation that had already existed informally for hundreds of years. A formal council is necessary now as many of the respected elders, who by the sheer respect they commanded could prevail upon their followers to accept their decisions without question, are now gone. It is also necessary as much has changed in the way things are done now compared to those halcyon days of rickshaws and horse carriages. Also people are more defensive about their faiths now. And because of all these things the council would be a good place where the leaders could learn from one another.

As in the informal consultation of the past, the council’s work does not touch on or involve the question of faith. Members of the council sit as equals and the subject they may be consulted on could be just on whether it is objectionable to a Chinese temple if a Hindu religious school is built next to it or whether an old mosque with a very small congregation could be pulled down to make way for a road project. The question of Islam, or any other religion for that matter, being ridiculed or its status as "the only true religion" questioned does not arise at all.

* Republished with permission. This editorial of theSun appeared in their February 24, 2009 issue.

Relates articles

• Guan Eng Ready To Meet Zahid Over Council For Religious Goodwill (Bernama, 26.02.09)
• In the name of religion (The Malaysian Insider, 25.02.09)
• Bridges of harmony (theSun, 24.01.08)

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