HISTORIANS have noted that it took only a few evil men to use the ideology of hate and the promise of eternal glory to justify the atrocities that killed millions of people in Europe and in Asia during the last world war.
The majority of the population were good people and totally innocent of the crimes but by their silence, they allowed the atrocities to happen on such an unprecedented scale.
Years after the war, and even today, people are still asking how such state - sponsored terror could have happened in the twentieth century.
The young of today feel ashamed and disgusted that the previous generation did not do anything to stop the madness before their countries were plunged into war, with disastrous consequences.
The lesson learned from what happened not so long ago is that it takes only a few to do terrible damage to the country if the majority who are good people are complacent and do not care about defending the values that make us a united Malaysian nation.
Muslim countries in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and in this region are seeing the same ambivalence among the moderate majority in the population, allowing the few who claim they know about religion to use it as an ideology in their violent crusade to change the society and eventually the country, from secularism and democracy to Islamism and theocracy.
In many of these countries, the poor, the angry unemployed youths and the social misfits are easily attracted to the call for jihad, especially those who have been indoctrinated from young in their religious education to hate everything that originates from the West, like human rights, constitutional freedoms, music, pop culture, art exhibitions, statues and sculptures, St Valentine’s Day, Christmas celebration, yoga etc.
These values and artistic pleasures are denounced by extremists as liberal ideas and alien cultures which have no place in the Islamic state.
The chaos and internal instability which follow the rise of religious extremism to change the value system towards religiosity create so much gloom and despair that many of the best people in Muslim countries simply give up and migrate to western countries.
In Malaysia, we have a relatively socially advanced society as a result of the country's economic modernisation and its exposure to external influences.
Further, its racial and cultural diversity, the higher level of urbanisation and the bigger size of the middle class compared to other Muslim countries make Malaysians feel at ease with modern lifestyles and social interactions among the races. Its education system is basically secular in content and there is no hate ideology in it. The young can find jobs and absolute poverty is practically non-existent.
The government's caring policies have shielded the poorer population from the difficulties of daily life. All these factors help to insulate the country from extremism.
Nevertheless, the growing tide of religious excesses and intolerance for diversity is a cause for worry especially with the close alliance between race, religion and politics, which is creating suspicion that the national leaders are knowingly allowing the conservative ulama to dictate their strict interpretation of Islam and their social values on us Muslims.
The silent majority among Malaysians are watching with concern at the Arabanisation of Malay - Muslim society because if this trend accelerates, it will create divisions among the Malays, with the extremists calling themselves true followers of Islam and labelling others as infidels. When Muslims are divided along sectarian lines, the potential for conflict is very great.
As we are seeing in the Middle East today, when Muslims fight each other in their sectarian wars, they will find somebody to be the scapegoats for their failures. Usually, it’s the Jews and the Christians who get blamed. We are seeing that in Malaysia too.
When a Muslim is seen in the compound of a church, the whole Christian community is accused of conspiring to subvert Islam. States compete with each other to issue fatwas to ban everything that is associated with western values, not realising that Christianity or imperialism has nothing to do with these values.
Those who criticise the religious bullying are threatened with the Sedition Act. If the critics are Chinese or Indians, they are called ungrateful pendatang as an insult.
We must not allow sectarianism and intolerance to grow their tentacles in our country and therefore we must speak up for moderation in Islam and mutual respect in our race relations, as loudly as we can. We the moderates must speak up now before it’s too late.
Let it not be said by the future generation that the majority who are moderates and liberal have allowed the few who are extremists and narrow minded to destroy the country.
As we are seeing in the Middle East today, when Muslims fight each other in their sectarian wars, they will find somebody to be the scapegoats for their failures. Usually, it’s the Jews and the Christians who get blamed. We are seeing that in Malaysia too.
When a Muslim is seen in the compound of a church, the whole Christian community is accused of conspiring to subvert Islam. States compete with each other to issue fatwas to ban everything that is associated with western values, not realising that Christianity or imperialism has nothing to do with these values. Those who criticise the religious bullying are threatened with the Sedition Act. If the critics are Chinese or Indians, they are called ungrateful pendatang as an insult.
We must not allow sectarianism and intolerance to grow their tentacles in our country and therefore we must speak up for moderation in Islam and mutual respect in our race relations, as loudly as we can. We the moderates must speak up now before it’s too late.
Let it not be said by the future generation that the majority who are moderates and liberal have allowed the few who are extremists and narrow minded to destroy the country.
* This letter is issued by Tan Sri Mohd Sheriff bin Mohd Kassim on behalf of G25 Malaysia
** Views expressed here are personally those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Astro AWANI.
Astro Awani
Wed Sep 14 2016
![Moderates must speak up Moderates must speak up](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2016-09/61473826210_Armysilhouette.jpg)
As we are seeing in the Middle East today, when Muslims fight each other in their sectarian wars, they will find somebody to be the scapegoats for their failures. - File Photo
![Perang berlarutan antara punca kelewatan penghantaran Black Hawk Perang berlarutan antara punca kelewatan penghantaran Black Hawk](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-04/51712121864_TBADLYZAHARIjp.jpg)
Perang berlarutan antara punca kelewatan penghantaran Black Hawk
Perkara itu dimaklumkan pihak Aerotree Defence and Services Sdn Bhd iaitu syarikat yang dipertanggungjawabkan dalam kontrak perolehan perkhidmatan sewaan helikopter berkenaan.
![Polis kesan remaja lelaki hilang sejak enam hari lepas Polis kesan remaja lelaki hilang sejak enam hari lepas](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/61721115027_MuhammadAdiLagik.jpg)
Polis kesan remaja lelaki hilang sejak enam hari lepas
Polis sedang berusaha mengesan seorang remaja lelaki yang dilaporkan hilang oleh keluarganya di Kuala Pilah sejak enam hari lepas.
[TERKINI] Sidang media khas FAM
FAM adakan satu sidang media khas petang nanti, difahamkan berkaitan rombakan. Kepimpinan tertinggi FAM atau barisan kejurulatihan skuad Harimau Malaya?
![Penampilan pertama Trump di konvensyen GOP selepas terselamat cubaan bunuh Penampilan pertama Trump di konvensyen GOP selepas terselamat cubaan bunuh](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/71721113188_DonaldTrump.jpg)
Penampilan pertama Trump di konvensyen GOP selepas terselamat cubaan bunuh
Donald Trump menghadiri Konvensyen Kebangsaan Republikan pada malam Isnin, penampilan umum pertamanya sejak terselamat daripada cubaan bunuh.
![Malaysia pantau perkembangan insiden tembakan di Masjid Muscat Malaysia pantau perkembangan insiden tembakan di Masjid Muscat](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-05/71715148599_wismaputra.jpg)
Malaysia pantau perkembangan insiden tembakan di Masjid Muscat
Wisma Putra melalui Kedutaan Besar Malaysia di Muscat, Oman sedang giat menyelaras usaha dengan pihak berkuasa tempatan untuk mendapatkan maklumat lanjut.
![Ini antara pencapaian Pan-gon bersama Harimau Malaya Ini antara pencapaian Pan-gon bersama Harimau Malaya](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721112073_PangonHarimauMal.jpg)
Ini antara pencapaian Pan-gon bersama Harimau Malaya
Kim Pan-gon memiliki rekod yang cukup baik bersama Malaysia, menjadi pengendali Harimau Malaya paling banyak mendapatkan keputusan yang positif sejak beberapa tahun kebelakangan ini.
![Kementerian Komunikasi umum Pakej Rahmah Prabayar Siswa Kementerian Komunikasi umum Pakej Rahmah Prabayar Siswa](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721112865_FahmiFadzil.jpg)
Kementerian Komunikasi umum Pakej Rahmah Prabayar Siswa
Kementerian Komunikasi hari ini mengumumkan Pakej Rahmah Prabayar Siswa pada harga tidak melebihi RM30.
![Messi harap cepat pulih daripada kecederaan Messi harap cepat pulih daripada kecederaan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-06/51719647184_LionelMessi.jpg)
Messi harap cepat pulih daripada kecederaan
Kapten Argentina, Lionel Messi berharap agar beliau cepat pulih daripada kecederaan buku lali yang dialaminya perlawanan akhir Copa America.
![MARA diminta terus teroka potensi industri halal global - Ahmad Zahid MARA diminta terus teroka potensi industri halal global - Ahmad Zahid](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/71721105894_AhmadZahidHamidi.jpg)
MARA diminta terus teroka potensi industri halal global - Ahmad Zahid
MARA diminta untuk terus meneroka potensi antarabangsa dalam industri halal yang mempunyai prospek besar menerusi program Gate to Global (GTG).
Saya akan rindu bau durian - Kim Pan-gon
Menurut Kim Pan-gon, beliau akan tetap bangga dengan pasukan bola sepak Malaysia walaupun dimana beliau berada.
Katanya beliau akan merindui bau durian dan langit Malaysia. #AWANInews
Katanya beliau akan merindui bau durian dan langit Malaysia. #AWANInews