Recently we have witness few events in our life that would effect us in our future. To name a few on a national level we can take Tun Mahathir Mohammad’s departure from leadership, his successors Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi taking over as the captain of our vessel into account as major changes in our life. Further to this was the recent election in our country that resulted with a big victory for National Coalition - BN. On the international front, its of course the war in Iraq and the continuing insurgency and the terrorist attack in Madrid, Spain that has brought lost to the ruling government and resulted with change in their leadership. The Israeli building up wall inside Palestinian land, the assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yasin of Hamas by the Isreali’s Special Forces, the rebel coup in Haiti, election in Taiwan, Indonesia and perhaps the list could go on. On our community level of course it was the recent AGM of KMJ (change of leadership) and the lost of our prominent Malaysian Malabari leader the Honorary Mr. Osman bin Mohamed has a deep affect in our affairs of the future.

Here, one thing that I would like to highlight is specifically on the state of ‘Islam’ generally and the ‘unity’ among Muslims in particular. In pervious focus discussion we have covered several key issue like the state of Malaysian Malabari in Malaysia and our status as ‘Malay’, our historical background, our culture, family ties and so on. Perhaps we could picture our self more clearly now of who we are and how to move forward from here. Islam for centuries have survived many obstacles and yet we remain prevail, the Holy Quran and Hadiths is still our point of reference, Rasulullah's life as our inspiration and all the framework and apparatus like the OIC in a international level for us Muslim is still here, to remain linked and well informed of our affairs. The core virtue here is not only on ‘unity’ and charismatic leadership, but also in Islam as religion and the Muslim brothers and sisters which what makes up the democracy in Islam. Opposition in certain issue will always occur as that is what makes up the ‘human relation’, to agree or to oppose or even to stay neutral.

During the Cold war confrontation of American capitalism and Soviet Union’s communism, many Arab (or Muslim) state took sides like Egypt’s Saddat and Pakistan’s Zia for example. In the middle of all this Malaysia with few other countries choose to remain neutral and non-align to any of them. One thing that we can learn from here is even though Malaysia did not support the confrontation; nevertheless it did not stop us from establishing diplomatic ties with them (America), and notably China (Communist) during Tun Abdul Razak’s era even though we were fighting Communist Terrorist’s insurgency on our own border. Now, didn’t we win over the hearts and mind of the communist (PKM) that resulted with disengagement of them, yet still maintain relations with the Cold war blocks. A decade later now after the end of the Cold War, we send many students to Russia for studying medicine, celebrated our three decade of trust and fostered friendship with China, and uncompromising intelligence co-operation with the CIA of US a year before the Sept 11 and after till today. Nevertheless it did not undermine our status as a Muslim nation and to advocate the faith of Islam and Muslim’s around the world in multilateral approach through OIC, NAM and the UN. We are still against US’s unilateral action on Iraq, and double standard in Israel/Palestine conflict. The key here is ‘multilateral’, ‘mutual respect’ of sovereignty, capacity building in other benefiting fields like education, cultural, trade, security and so on.

Relations in international arena today at times can be crudely considered as anarchy. Yet despite all this there are also group of peace loving people who doing their best to unite the world community and to avoid violence. Nevertheless it does not rule out ‘conflict’, ‘confrontations’ and ‘disputes’. In this perspective, it is how we engage with others is what counts as the most important tool to solve the problems. Our life isn’t about having problems and moaning about how painful and sad it is to go through, but it is actually about how to ‘over come’ it and to find solutions. In this light, the problems we face among our Malabari community is varied and in deferent degrees. Thus, have different forms of engagements. Some of us are very confrontational and resort to attack in the name of defence. Some of us could be patient and create room for round table discussions with the parties involve solving the problem. At times we may reach agreement, at time we may not, but the rules of engagement in many occasions is often ignored. Perhaps we could be just having a friendly chat in a coffee shop but we could end up holding each other neck for something that we disagree and upset with.

One thing we have to bare in our mind is nobody is wrong; every ones argument is right and valid. In this light it is the favour of the majority, the value that benefits the community and group is what should be the priority. Now, how many of us actually realise this. We argue and fight at times harshly just because we (one person/party) disagree, and ignore the view and standings of the others (majority). If we still think we are right, then we must have the ability to convince others to buy our argument. Yet by doing this, it should always be benefiting the community and not ones self. It is just like a salesman selling a product, we can BLA BLA BLA this and that with all the big HU HA HAA, but we cannot force or enforce the buyer. However, if one could give an offer that can’t be refused, than both parties reach the agreement. Here again, we have to take ethic, respect and honesty in to account so that there isn’t any discrimination, prejudice and lost of any kind for all parties.

It is rather sad and embarrassing that our community meetings at times could turn out sour especially in this 21’s century where our country is well developed and progressing in many fields. It’s like having the 1^st class apparatus and luxury life but still with 3rd class mentally. Without accusing any individual, perhaps its best that we take the blame wholly as a community. It is the shortcoming in our own society that resulted with ungraceful affairs between our own selves. In this age of information revolution and globalise nation there is a bigger threat that we often ignore which is to the Islam it self. The ‘war on terror’ led by the West is undermining the credibility of Islam’s unity among Muslims. It is worth acknowledging that the ‘West’ is actually derived from ‘Western Christendom’ (Huntington). It is just politically correct now to use the term West in our age’s affair today. There is much mechanism today to disunite Muslim around the world. Terrorism and Human Right has much been manipulated to serve certain sects gaining. If we see the first Human Right bill, it actually existed between the Muslim Caliphate government and the Christians and Jewish settlers in Jerusalem somewhere 800 AD, if I am correct.

The Christians and Jewish were given the freedom of religion (Islam Handari) and assured safety of their believers and their house of worships. As time past, Islam’s unity and great leadership has brought to its peak with the establishment of Muslim university in Cordova, Spain. This house of intellect has been recognised by the West, as saving the medieval Europe to current time at least from 500 years behind. However we lost it during the Spanish Inquisition by Ferdinand and Isabella. In later centuries, history witnessed the Sultanate of the Ottoman Empire. However in early 20th century Muslim power were brought to its knee by the West. If any of you remember the story of ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, he is actually an British archaeologist used by the British Intelligence to unite the Arabs to fight the Ottoman Turks. However the Arabs were manipulated by the British and at the end, the left united. The effect of that is still sound to this day among member of the Arab League. Now this is sad, indeed very sad. However, it was not only the manipulation of the West that was at work, but also the internal disputes and disunity among clerics, statesmen and army generals of the Ottoman Empire too contributed much to the defeat of the Muslim nation. As a result of this, today we Muslim does not have our own ‘core’ state to equate or align with. Even if we do (eg. Saudi Arabia etc) none of us has the credibility and the defence capability (not to resort to war) at least to sit on a negotiating table on a same level with the West.

Coming from this point of view, looking at the disunity among our fellow Malabari, firstly I could considered it as shameful, second, it is also the leaking in the damn that one day it will burst and fall apart. As mentioned earlier, due to the fall of Muslim power during the World War I, the effect is very much felt till today. Even though the Palestinian conflict is rallied as justified among Muslim, at the wake of post Sept 11, when Malaysia as the chairman of the OIC summit proposed all sort of act of violence by terrorism including suicide bombers is unlawful and should be rejected, there isn’t sound unity among the Muslim nation around the world. The split of Shia and Sunnah Muslim too is already a defeat to us. On top of this we have many claimed valid ‘fatwas’ that often contradict. All this only attributes to the gaining of the adversaries (West) and we will remain undermined, oppressed and disunited. We realise it or not as long as we Muslim are in dispute among our self our enemies will always prevail in their causes. Having mention much of international affair and state of our Muslim from global point of view, I would like to suggest that we must come out from our mind set (I am right and the rest is wrong) and inculcate a more healthier and progressive mentality. Remember, our young ones are watching us, we may teach them what is wrong and right, but what always remain in their memories is how we behaved with others, and often is the case they too behave the same way.

Insha Allah, let us not blame any one but our self. Allah has said that, if it is something good, it is from Him, when something is bad; it is often because of our own fault. There must be a blessing in the sky for recent events in our community, we are also in grief for the lost of one of our leader. Lets unite and prosper, not for ourselves, but for the Ummah, Islam and Allah.

By: Ye Olde Valour