Breaking the link between ethnicity and Islam
IT HAS been a hectic Chinese New Year for Mr Ridhuan Tee Abdullah, who is Chinese and has been a devout Muslim for 22 years.
With his wife and children, he headed home from Kuala Lumpur to Teluk Intan in Perak in time to share the traditional reunion dinner with his extended Chinese family.
To him, this is wholly consistent with his Islamic faith.
“Islam requires us to respect our parents, whatever our religions,” said Mr Ridhuan, 42, vice-president of the Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association. “We can eat together as long as the food is halal.”
Halal describes meat from animals that have been slaughtered in the ritual way prescribed by Islamic law.
“My family understands the dos and don’ts, and there are more dos than don’ts,” he added.
Born Tee Chuan Seng, he converted to Islam in 1985 at the age of 20 and married his wife, a Malay, five years later.
He said there is a wrong perception that non-Malays have to abandon their cultures and identities when they embrace Islam.
“Some of my Chinese friends were chased out of their homes by their parents when they became Muslims,” he said.
And in the Malay-Muslim community, he said, many disapprove of Chinese Muslims celebrating cultural festivals perceived as un-Islamic.
In the Malaysian psyche, being Muslim and Malay are regarded by many as one and the same.
This attitude is reflected even in the Malay phrase to describe Muslim converts, who are said to masuk Melayu (become Malay).
Many converts adopt the Malay culture by taking Malay names and using the Malay traditional dress.
Conversely, the cultures of the non-Malay ethnic groups are labelledun-Islamic. This explains why, from time to time, a debate erupts on issues such as whether Muslims can use chopsticks or display Chinese calligraphy.
Journalist Saiful Bahrin Saidin recounted in the Malay-language Utusan Malaysia newspaper some months ago how a visitor had rebuked him for displaying the“writings of infidels” in his home.
He had a Chinese calligraphic work hanging on the wall and what his visitor did not know was that it was a declaration of Islamic faith, written in Chinese.
Mr Saiful thought it sad that some Malay Muslims do not realise that Islam is a religion practised by people of many races around the world. More recently, the mufti of the tiny northern most state of Perlis, Dr Mohamed Asri Zainul Abidin, sparked controversy by asking Malaysian state governments to allow Chinese Muslims to build mosques with their own distinct architecture.
The mufti is the person who heads the group that rules on Islamic law.“The idea that Islam in Malaysia must be Malay in all forms is wrong,” said the religious leader.
New Straits Times reader Ghazali Osman wrote in to say that he agreed with the mufti and suggested that Chinese Muslims help break down the barrier by opening halal restaurants to show that Chinese culture is not at odds with Islam.
“Malaysians like to eat Chinese food. Encouraging Chinese Muslims to do this will erase the fear in other Muslims about the halal status of these eateries,” he said.
There are about 60,000 to 70,000 Chinese Muslims in Malaysia, less than 1 percent of the Chinese population. The total number of Muslim converts is estimated to be over 100,000.
The debate over ethnicity, religion and culture has caused some uneasiness inthe Malay community because it challenges long- accepted notions about race and religion.
To many Malays, Islam is the very core of their identities. A study last year found that 70 per cent of Malays see themselves as Muslims first, then as Malays and Malaysians.
To writer Eddin Khoo, who established a foundation to promote traditional Malay arts, the politicisation of race and religion has contributed to stronger religious identities.
“It is the result of the creation of a political racial identity,” said Mr Khoo, 37, a non-Muslim scholar of Malay arts and Islam.
Further, the Federal Constitution defines a Malay as someone who professes Islam, speaks Malay and adheres to Malay customs.
While that may give the impression that anyone can “become Malay” by converting to Islam and complying with the stated criteria, that is not the case.
The issue is significant because the Malay community in Malaysia is entitled to special economic privileges under the country’s affirmative action policy.
A Muslim convert may adopt the Malay lifestyle and language and yet not be regarded in law as being part of the community.
On this issue, the opposition Islamic Party, PAS, has been consistent in promoting the idea of a universal Muslim unity, regardless of race.
Unlike the ruling Barisan Nasional government, with power shared mainly byrace-based political parties, PAS’ political ideology is based on religion.
While the mufti of Perlis caused some unhappiness with his comments on mosque designs, PAS is going ahead to show what can be done.
In the northeastern state of Kelantan, where the party holds power, it is building a mosque with Chinese architecture. It also has a Chinese Muslim state assembly man.
“PAS has always taken the view of the universalism of Islam,” said Mr Khoo,whose book of essays on Islam will be published this year.
Because of the conflation of race and religion in Malaysia, the response of political leaders to the proposal for Chinese mosques has been lukewarm.
Some accept the idea cautiously. Others, like Malacca Chief Minister Ali Rustam, believe that Muslims should not be segregated by race.
For many Malaysians, Chinese architecture is associated mainly with Taoist and Buddhist temples.
The Chinese-Muslim community, however, believes that having mosques with distinctive Chinese architecture will go a long way towards demonstrating the universality of Islam.
Such a mosque can function as a community centre with activities and religious classes conducted in Chinese.
“We want to show that Islam is a religion that belongs to everyone,” said Mr Ridhuan of the converts’ association, arguing that architecture has noreligious significance.
In the meantime, there are other ways to make the point.Besides the Chinese New Year, the converts’ association also celebrates the Lantern Festival by organising festivities with other Chinese groups.“We wear the Chinese traditional dress and carry lanterns and all. It’s no problem,” he said.
“We want to show that Islam is a religion that belongs to everyone.”
MR RIDHUANTEE ABDULLAH, who is Chinese and has been a devout Muslim for 22 years.
The vice-president of the Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association believes that having mosques with distinctive Chinese architecture will demonstrate the universality of Islam.
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