Religious authorities are exceptionally vocal these days, acting as the “defenders” of the so-called “true” Islam.
Islam is constantly in the news these days. Officials from Penang Islamic Religious Affairs Department (JAIPP) interrupted a Taoist funeral for Teoh Cheng Cheng, only to find out later she was not a Muslim.
Officials from the Selangor Islamic Religious Affairs Department (Jais) barged into a Hindu wedding in a temple and “arrested” the bride and then there is the refusal of the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) to return the 321 Bibles seized from the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) in defiance of the attorney-general’s instruction.
Recently, I had an opportunity to listen to two presentations – Indonesians Yekti Maunati and Betti Rosita Sari about the Cham identity in Cambodia.
Both researchers have conducted extensive fieldwork in Cambodia for two years about the process and formation of the Cham people.
Who are the Cham? According to them, the Cham originated from the Kingdom of Champa in Vietnam who later migrated gradually to Cambodia.
What caught my attention are the influence of Islam and the cultural traditions of the Cham. Historically, the Cham have converted from animism to Hinduism to Buddhism and then to Islam, with which they are predominantly associated today.
Interestingly, the religious practices of the Cham are divided into two groups. One is the Cham who pray five times daily, based on the Five Pillars of Islam. Second is the Cham Jahed who pray only on Fridays.
Both groups use the same language – Cham. However, they have different praying practices and other rituals. The Cham also practise different wedding rituals which reflect the Cham traditional culture.
Their research shows that the governments of Malaysia and the Middle East are generous in providing development assistance and grants. This resulted in a division in terms of religious practices, some leaning towards Malaysia and others towards the Middle East.
Therefore, if we look at the Cham identity through Islam, it is contested.
A religious institution becomes a political organisation when it incorporates politics into its identity. That is what is happening in Malaysia now.
The cultural practices of the Cham teach us that one’s faith should not be measured by outward acts.
In Malaysia, there is a common misconception that Islam is a Malay religion. The Muslim tradition, however, attributes greater weight to the personal intention of the believer than outward appearances.
Islam is a universal religion and more importantly, religion is personal and that is the only way to keep the freedom of religion for all. – June 16, 2014.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.
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