Asia has some form of coexistence between Islam and Chinese religion. How can you explain that? What is Asian about Islam in Asia?
Answer
The country where Islam and Chinese religion meaning by which Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism combined, coexist in harmony is Malaysia. This coexistence is due to a variety of factors, among them the political acommodation of the Chinese minority; sufficient scope for the expansion of Chinese economic enterprises; latitude for Chinese language, culture and education; and recognition of the rights and freedoms of the Chinese community in other spheres. If this coexistence between Islam and Chinese religion has worked out it is because the Muslim leadership and the Muslim people have demonstrated the real meaning of tolerance of other religious and cultural traditions as required by our faith.
Islam in Asia has to interact with cultures and communities which are not part of the Ahl Kitab tradition. Since this is the reality facing Muslims in Asia they are compelled to accept cultural and religious diversity much more than their counterparts in the Arab World.
Name
Mizuhu
- Japan
Profession
Question
How do you face globalization as a person? How can individuals face globalization in their daily lives apart from high-level politics or political action? So far globalization has always been addressed in collectivity, as collectivity. What can we do as individuals? What kinds of survival strategies have been used by the Malay people to preserve their cultures?
Answer
Globalization has many facets to it. Most of them affect our daily lives as ordinary women and men. For example, if economic globalization results in a financial crisis or in an economic slowdown, which in turn forces people out of jobs, there isn't very much that the individual can do. However, there are other aspects of economic globalization which we can counter as ordinary citizens. An ordinary citizen can decide not to consume certain products which symbolize global economic power, like McDonald's or Coca Cola. In the process one may want to promote foods which are indigenous, thereby offering some resistance to globalization through individual action. Likewise, in the field of art, music, literature and entertainment, an individual can consciously preserve and perpetuate practices and traditions which are local and indigenous.
The Malaysian people have not been very successful in protecting their own cultures and traditions in the face of globalization. Malaysia is on a per capita basis, one the most lucrative markets for Kentucky Fried Chicken. Though Malaysian cuisine and certain other aspects of Malaysian culture continue to survive, there is no conscious intellectual endeavor to articulate alternative forms of cultural and artistic expression which would help to strengthen the distictive foundations of our society in an increasingly globalized world.
Name
James Brentwood
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
I’m an international relations specialist with a special interest in human rights. How can I become a member of JUST?
Answer
It is quite easy to become a member of JUST. All you have to do is to fill our membership form which is available on the JUST website. The address is www.jaring.my/just
Once you become a member you will be able to participate in JUST activities.
JUST has a Chapter in the United Kingdom which is headed by a Member of Parliament the honorable Mr. Jeremy Corbyn.
Name
Hoda Ammar
- Syria
Profession
Question
The Malay experience of Islamization has dealt sensitively with religious and ethnic diversity. How did this happen? How can we generalize it to other Muslim countries?
Answer
It is true that Malaysia has managed to incorporate Islamic principles in certain areas of public life while respecting religious and ethnic diversity. This is due to a number of factors. One, an acceptance of the reality of religious and ethnic diversity on the part of the majority Muslim community which is in line with Islamic teachings. Two, an attitude of live and let live upheld by the non-Muslim minorities that is, the Chinese and Indian communities. Three, continuous economic growth and development over a period of more than four decades which has enabled the government to cater to the competing economic interests of the different communities without making any one community feel that it has suffered mass ethnic deprivation. Four, a certain degree of ethnic balance achieved through equitable distribution of wealth and opportunities which has made it possible for a significant segment of the indigenous Malay Muslim populace to enjoy the fruits of development. Five, a relatively successful experiment in sharing political power between the indigenous and non-indigenous communities which has reduced feelings of political alienation. Six, cultural and religious policies which have by and large protected the preeminent position of the Muslim community while preserving the legitimate rights of the other religious and cultural communities.
It may not be possible to replicate the Malaysian experience in other Muslim countries since every country is unique. Nonetheless, the Malaysian experience shows that if the leaders and the people uphold values such as moderation, tolerance, and balance it may be possible to achieve Islamization while protecting the integrity of a multi-religious society.
Name
Marwa
- Egypt
Profession
Question
With a substantial number of Malay women in the public sphere, would you agree with me that the Malay woman’s experience has been quite remarkable in terms of its position in the Malay society? Unfortunately, women in many Asian countries have been suppressed in the name of Islam. Many have used Islam to justify injustices. How do you explain the special status of Malay women? What is it based on? Is it Malay culture in itself, even before the rise of Islam, or is it the Malay understanding and interpretation of Islam? The reason for my question is that it has been noticeable that Muslim women in India and Pakistan have been negatively affected by traditions. How and why is Malaysia different? How can Malaysia be an example for the Muslim world in this regard?
Answer
Malay women who are all Muslim in terms of faith have done remarkably well in various spheres of life. The policies adopted by the national leadership since Independence in 1957 have a lot to do with this situation. Right from the beginning, Muslim women were members of Parliament and held important positions in the bureaucracy. The leadership did not adopt a negative attitude towards female participation in the public sphere largely because it was a Western educated elite which was not burdened by a conservative traditionalistic orientation towards religion. This is why it gave a lot of emphasis to the education of women in the early decades of Independence. In fact, some of the Islamic reformers in Malaysia in the twenties and thirties had already given a lot of importance to the education of women in their writings. Sayyid Sheikh Al Hadi, for instance, wrote a whole novel about the education and the rights of women. Within the religious establishment there was no opposition to the emancipation of women mainly because the national leadership was committed to the rights of women. This is what accounts for the different treatment of women in Malaysia compared to certain other countries. It shows that political leadership is an important ingredient in ensuring the liberation of our Muslim sisters.
Name
Isabel
- Spain
Profession
Question
In what areas is your movement primarily active? Social, economic? And if political, how?
Answer
The International Movement for a Just World addresses all dimensions of the global system, be it political, economic, cultural or technological. However, JUST focuses more upon the political aspects of the global system and at the same time promotes inter-civilizational dialogue as a way of discovering the shared universal spiritual and moral values which are humanity's common heritage.
Name
Malik Mahdi
- United States
Profession
Producer
Question
It is obvious that globalization pushed to the extreme injustice worldwide. Do you think that part of fighting it should start with the democratization of the Muslim world and establishing pluralism?
Answer
The democratization of Muslim societies would be an essential prerequisite in the battle against the unjust aspects of globalization. It is partly because Muslim elites in certain countries are not accountable to their own people through democratic processes that they are not ashamed to sell the rights of their people to the powerful in the capitals of the North who are pursuing a form of globalization which denies justice to the majority of humankind. If Muslim societies were genuinely democratic their elites will have to explain to the people why they have allowed Multi-National Corporations to usurp the precious resources of the land or why they have acquiesced to the stationing of foreign troops on their soil.
Though democratization may ensure greater accountability and responsibility on the part of the elites, there is no guarantee that it will lead to the growth of genuinely independent Muslim states unless the people themselves are committed to the defense of values such as integrity and justice in public life.
Name
Sarah Abdul Hamid
- Canada
Profession
student
Question
What is Asia’s contribution in the call for international justice? How is it different from any other cultures like the Arab world, for example?
Answer
Different countries in Asia are responding in different ways to issues of global injustice. We cannot generalize when talking about Asia's response to international justice.
China, for instance, has taken a fairly principled position in defending the interests of Southeast Asian countries on the question of its currency. If China devalued its currency in response to regional and international developments in the global financial system it would have an adverse impact upon the economies of Southeast Asia. India has also resisted certain attempts by the World Trade Organization to impose certain rules on intellectual property rights and on the pricing of certain drugs which has benefitted countries of the South. Likewise, Malaysia has spoken out against the bombing of Afghanistan and, as a result of this, has contributed to a more balanced approach to the question of terrorism as it affects countries in the Asian region. What this shows is that Asian countries are responding to various dimensions of global hegemony but they have not developed an integrated holistic approach to the contemporary challenge of the dominance of the powerful in the global system.
I suppose the situation is not very different in the Arab world where we also have different national elites responding in different ways to the global challenge. However, what makes the Arab situation more complex than Asia is the tragedy of Palestine. For the subjugation and suppression of the Palestinian people is a microcosm of the prevailing injustices in the global system. As long as the Palestinians are denied their legitimate rights there can be no justice in the Middle East or within the international system.
Name
Kamel
- Algeria
Profession
Question
Many people are aware of the importance of China as an international actor. However, it appears to be to a very large extent enclosed on its own, with its economy, culture and religion. How can it contribute to the value concern for a just world? Another question is, we have always been dealing with inter-cultural dialogue in terms of Islam vs. the West, what about Islam and China? China is very much a continent on its own, so how can Muslims start dealing with Chinese culture and values, beyond our solidarity with China’s Muslims, of course?
Answer
On issues of the global economy, global culture and global politics, China is already playing an important role. However, it is true that on certain vital humanitarian concerns in recent years the Chinese government has adopted a policy of non-interference in the affairs of other nation-states. This explains why on the question of Bosnia, for instance, the Chinese government did not take the side of the oppressed. This is true of other international issues too. Nonetheless, on Palestine, the Chinese have consistently supported the Palestinian struggle for the establishment of an independent state. But even on this issue, the Chinese can do more in the UN Security Council and in other international bodies.
I agree with you that the Muslim and Arab World should enter into an active dialogue with China. Let us not forget that for hundreds of years before Western colonialism, China and the Muslim World interacted with one another in areas such as science, culture and architecture. In Malaysia we organized a dialogue between Islam and Confucianism in 1995. It is a dialogue which has continued. After all, one of the well-known Hadiths implores Muslims to seek knowledge from China. That Hadith is as relevant today as it was in the past.
