wfn.org | WCC FEATURE: Malaysia: Christians in a Muslim-majority country

["WCC Media" <Media@wcc-coe.org>]

World Council of Churches - Feature
Contact: + 41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org 

For immediate release - 26/07/2004

 BEING CHRISTIANS IN A MUSLIM-MAJORITY COUNTRY
 - INTERVIEW WITH HERMEN SHASTRI

			    By Juan Michel (*)

      A digest of stories from Faith and Order meeting in Kuala Lumpur will
						      be distributed daily.

    Rev. Dr Hermen Shastri, the general secretary of the Council of
    Churches of Malaysia (CCM), a fifty-seven year old ecumenical body
    which is hosting the upcoming meeting of the WCC Faith and Order
    plenary commission to take place in Kuala Lumpur, from 28 July to 6
    August, 2004, speaks in this interview about the life and witness of
    churches in a heavily minority situation, where the meaning of
    evangelization, inter-faith dialogue, ecumenism and politics are
    different.

-- Christians in Malaysia make up 7% of the population.  What are the
implications for churches in such a minority situation? How do the
Malaysian churches understand their role in society?

As a minority, we are acutely aware that we live among people of other
faiths.  This is a daily reality which implies that, to build a just and
harmonious nation, our lives are intertwined in a common destiny.

As churches we seek to contribute meaningfully to the well-being of the
nation.  More concretely, we see our role as upholding the secular
democratic status of our federal constitution, protecting religious freedom
as guaranteed by it, and engaging in open and frank dialogue with
government, inter-faith and civil groups, on matters of common concern.

-- What are the main challenges faced by the Malaysian churches?

A specific challenge, in the face of resurgent Islam, is to work with
others to ensure that Malaysia is not turned into an "Islamic" or
"theocratic" state.  A related challenge is to monitor situations where
civil and religious liberties could be curtailed.

Other challenges we face are familiar to churches everywhere, like engaging
in issues related to rights of children, women, disabled and migrant
workers, or to promote sustainable development in order to protect the
environment.  To bridge the Catholic - Ecumenical - Evangelical divide
among the churches is also part of our agenda.

-- How are relations between Christians and other Malaysian faith
communities?

There are good relationships with the Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh communities.
Twenty years of journeying together at the Malaysian Consultative Council
of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism has helped to build trust
and a good cooperative spirit.

Regarding relationships with the Muslim community, experiences vary.  Some
Muslim groups, usually the moderate voices within that community, are open
to dialogue.  But other groups avoid dialogue because they perceive it as
confrontational and perhaps as impinging on aspects of their faith and
practice on which, they believe, non-Muslims have no right to comment.

Having said that, government-based Islamic institutions are nevertheless
ready to engage in dialogue to resolve "sensitive" issues.

-- What kind of society will Faith and Order commissioners find in Kuala
Lumpur?  Is there harmony or fragility in inter-ethnic relations?
Celebration of racial differences or racial bitterness?  Is religion the
great divide among Malaysians and not ethnicity, as some say?

Basically, they will find a mixed society of different ethnic communities
(Malays, Chinese, Indians, indigenous peoples) and religious backgrounds
(Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Christianity, Sikhism) living
peacefully together.  That would be the general impression.

Ethnic and religious differences are an accepted reality; difficult
socio-economic and religious issues arising from ethnically-based politics
are tempered with sensitivity and goodwill.  Every Malaysian is aware that
the stability of social relations in a multi-ethnic or multi-religious
context is fragile.

Thus far, Malaysian society has been able to tread a moderate path and
celebrate its diversity on the basis of understanding, compromise and
shared responsibility.

-- Islam being the religion of about 54% of the population and also the
official religion of the country, what is the impact of Islamic laws and
regulations - those which discourage or even punish conversion out of
Islam, for instance - on the daily lives of Malaysian Christians?

Islamic-based laws and regulations impact the lives of the other religious
communities through restrictions, perceived or real, in social life.

One current issue is that of conversion out of Islam, which under strict
Syariah laws is considered "apostasy".	Inter-faith (non-Islamic) concerns
about this are raised at all dialogue sessions with government authorities
or Islamic groups.

It is unlikely the Muslim stance on such a "sensitive" issue will soften,
however there are small signs of accommodation when it comes to inter-faith
marriages or custody of children when one parent converts to Islam.

We have chosen non-confrontational dialogue.  Sensitivity on this issue is
underscored by patience and understanding of the forces of conservatism and
moderation within the Islamic fold.

-- What does evangelization mean in that context?

In Malaysia, it is against the law for any religion to proselytize among
Muslims.  This has a direct bearing on the Christian idea of
evangelization.  Most pronouncements of national Christian bodies, be they
Catholic, Protestant or Evangelical, stress the need to tread carefully on
the issue.  It may be perceived by outsiders as an unacceptable compromise,
but Malaysian Christians feel that a confrontational approach would lead
nowhere.

Therefore, Malaysian Christians speak of "life and word evangelization".
People should see the exemplary lives of Christians and that should offer
opportunities to share the spiritual basis of such living with others.

-- Have the latest geopolitical events had any noticeable consequences for
the life and witness of Malaysian churches and individual Christians?

Yes, definitely!  Muslims perceive that Islam is "under siege" by the
Western media, which portrays it as a source of conflict wherever it is
present.  But this is not true.  In Malaysia, the government takes a firm
position vis-`-vis sectarian Muslim groups that manifest extremist
religious positions.  Religious justification of terrorism is not
tolerated.

Of course, Malaysian churches come under scrutiny by Muslims if they take a
stance that is perceived as "Western"; for example, articulating
secular-based notions of democracy which are unacceptable in our
socio-cultural context.

But on other issues - like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, on which the
Council of Churches supports a just settlement based on a two sovereign
states model and joins the Muslim community in speaking out against the
atrocities suffered by Palestinians - Malaysian Churches are not seen as
blindly reflecting an American stance.

-- A Christian journalist wrote recently "even as we express some of our
frustrations, (Malaysian) Christians must also acknowledge the liberties we
enjoy in this wonderful country of ours".  What are some of those
frustrations?

The basic frustration is that invariably Islam comes into the picture on
many of the issues the churches struggle with.	They walk a fine line
between maintaining a strong position on constitutionally guaranteed
religious freedom, and patiently making allowances due to "sensitivities".

Another frustration is having to contend with the proliferation of
independent churches, and how this phenomenon is perceived by other faith
communities.  Christianity is indeed growing in the country.  But so are
churches of every shade of doctrine.  Does religious freedom mean that the
multiplication of churches of every sort is to be tolerated?

-- The fact that the country's prime minister will address the Faith and
Order gathering seems to be a recognition of the relevant role of Malaysian
churches in society.  How are relations between the Malaysian churches and
the federal government?

They are good! The strongest dialogue partner on all matters affecting the
life of the churches has been the government.  The reason is that it is
based on a coalition of political parties dedicated to the principle of
sharing the benefits of progress with all ethnic and religious communities
in the country.

Church leaders relate closely to Christian politicians in government, in
order to influence government decisions.  Sometimes, this gives the
churches direct access to the prime minister, and through his intervention
many issues are resolved.

Experience shows that government agencies are prepared to engage in serious
dialogue with religious communities to resolve issues facing non-Muslims in
the country, although finding solutions is not always easy.

-- But at the same time in a recent issue of the CCM publication "Berita"
(News) the "increasing government policy of Islamization of society" is
mentioned as a "worrying" trend.

And so it is! The government, with a majority Muslim leadership, has to
constantly reassure its Muslim constituencies that it is Islamic.
"Islamization" in its various interpretations is openly espoused by the
government.  This worries us.  The constitution does not endorse an Islamic
state, and therefore this notion is challenged by the non-Muslim
communities, which are unreservedly united in this regard.

-- What is your assessment of the current Malaysian ecumenical scene?  How
are relations among Christian churches themselves?

At the institutional level, churches tend to be connected ecumenically.
There are organizations that encourage churches to work together, like our
Council of Churches; those belonging to the "Evangelical" stream have the
National Evangelical Christian Fellowship.  These two bodies joined in 1985
with the National Catholic Bishops' Conference to create the Christian
Federation of Malaysia, a consultative body aimed at safeguarding Christian
interests in the face of Islamization.

Ecumenism is evident also through the various specific issue groups
operating within or outside the churches.  The Children's Rights Network is
a good example of this.  There are also a number of advocacy Christian
groups that work closely with NGOs.

However, for many local churches the term "ecumenism" is not popular.  They
associate it with "liberalism" as opposed to the "evangelicalism" they
promote.  They speak of "unity of the spirit" rather than of "unity of the
body" which may imply working for the organic unity of the churches.

Local churches tend to cooperate more around "evangelical" causes rather
than on issues of church unity.  In fact, the one single ecclesiological
issue that confronts churches in the country is the mushrooming of the
independent churches.  These operate on their own and pursue an agenda that
militates against the general notions of ecumenism.

-- Is there any similarity between the struggle for unity of different
Christian confessions and the need for Malaysians of different ethnic
origins to cross ethnic boundaries and unite under one common national
identity?

I feel there is definitely a link between unity and national identity.
Unity is shallow if it means "tolerating" one another.	There must be a
common search for the deeper dimension of what makes us one, as a people.
At what point do we cross ethnic boundaries and embrace a common national
identity?  This issue has been much debated in our country in the last
twenty years.  Likewise, churches must also be challenged to cross
confessional boundaries and seek to nurture a unity that goes to the heart
of the Gospel.

-- What are the Malaysian churches' expectations of the Faith and Order
meeting?

Except for church leaders, people in the pew have never heard of Faith and
Order, although when they are told that such a body seeks to overcome
doctrinal differences that cause church divisions, they find it
interesting.

We hope this meeting will bring new impetus to Malaysian churches to pursue
the ecumenical agenda.	And furthermore, the churches here must be
challenged to accept that "ecumenical formation" is not an additional but
an integral part of discipleship in our modern world.

(*) Juan Michel is WCC media relations officer.

Additional information on Faith and Order and the Kuala Lumpur meeting,
including a detailed agenda and a form for media accreditation, is
available on the meeting website at
http://www.wcc-coe.org/kualalumpur2004.html 

Media coverage:  An ecumenical media team will provide daily feature and
news stories in English, German, Spanish and French, as well as photos. All
material can be viewed and downloaded free of charge from the meeting
website.

Kuala Lumpur features: Although written according to the usual journalistic
standards of accuracy and balance, since this article is intended for the
general public it should not be read as a formal academic or theological
text, nor should it be considered an official statement of the Faith and
Order commission.

Opinions expressed in WCC Features do not necessarily reflect WCC policy.
This material may be reprinted freely, providing credit is given to the
author.

Additional information: Juan Michel,+41 22 791 6153  +41 79 507 6363
	 media@wcc-coe.org 

 The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 342, in
 more than 120 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian
 traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but works
 cooperatively with the WCC. The highest governing body is the assembly,
 which meets approximately every seven years. The WCC was formally
 inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its staff is headed by
 general secretary Samuel Kobia from the Methodist church in Kenya.

You receive this message as a subscriber to the WCC information service for
	 media. To unsubscribe or change your settings, <a
	
href="http://onlineservices.wcc-coe.org/wccregistration.nsf/UpdateRequest?Ope
nForm"><font
 face="Arial">click here</font></a>
	 .