the big problem here is racism that implicates from the system. the system that grants different races to be treated differently. the system that is called Ketuanan Melayu ( or Malay Supremacy - or something like that >.< ). it is defined as 'institutional racism', "any kind of racism occurring specifically within institutions such as public government" ( wikipedia )
Malay Supremacy goes wayyyy back to the old days. even before Malaysia gained independence. when Singapore was part of Malaysia for the short 2 years period, they made a movement on how the people need to stand up and fight against this policy. which then triggered the incident of 13th May. a bloody mess i must say. then the government in-effort to somehow 'counter' this tragedy, established new special rights to the Malays in the Constitution of Malaysia ( specifically Article 153 ) and also the Rukun Negara. i guess im in no position to say if it was the right or wrong since I'm a Malay myself and I am 'living' the special rights.
so, racism in Malaysia is in general, bigger than other countries' because it comes from hate or dissatisfaction towards the governing system. i read an article written by a Chinese. he expressed how he love his country so much, that there is no other place he even consider going or calling home other than Malaysia. but his dad had to went abroad just to pursue his studies ( back then there werent that many universities accepting non-Malays i suppose ) because his intentions were rejected in his own country. the author described that he was born in Chinese. there's really nothing he can do about it and like it or not, they have to abide to the system.
in conclusion, i really dont know how im gonna pull this off. i mean sending a powerful statement that can really change someone. how he feels. but i know for sure there is no way i can really clear everyone of the racism plague. they are pointing fingers at the government, the system. what am i to do about it? ive learned that to live in a multiculturalism country means you have to acknowledge, accept, value and respect other culture be it ethics, religions, whatever. a good read is a paper written by Maher Abu-Munshar entitled Islamicjerusalem : A Model for Multiculturalism. i have to admit i havent read the whole thing but i did read bits of it. Islamicjerusalem is basically a term founded in early 1996, and scholars are using it to discuss on how Muslims and Christians were able to live in peace back in Jerusalem, unlike how things are today.
“ Their ( Muslims ) understanding of non-Muslims’ rights and recognition of the two communities’ needs engendered a flourishing multicultural society that provided an atmosphere for peaceful co-existence. Multiculturalism, a vital and crucial element of a society, can become a convenient and indispensable mechanism for fostering diversity among different cultures and religions. This approach tends to perpetuate, rather than challenge, views about the differences of other religions. The Muslims’ inclusive vision for Islamicjerusalem, which involved recognizing others, fostering diversity and pluralism, implementing Islamic tolerance and mutual respect, led to peaceful co-existence ”
- Maher Abu-Munshar
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