What made the compilation absorbing was that it did not just display the outer complexion of religion, but also somehow hinted of a profound inner essence behind each and every face.
Each community seemed different in appearance and ceremony. Each had its own custom, inherited mannerism and behaviour, a uniquely distinguishing style of dressing and ritual. Each seemed to exist ever so comfortably, isolated in a single corner of the planet; each oblivious of the countless others who are themselves travelling along in similar spiritual quests.
Yet, when placed next to each other in the exhibition, the images of their faces radiated with an unmistakable sense of a sharing – of the same common spirit or aspiration.
It came as a peculiar point of interest then when the government last week commemorated for the first time the United Nation’s "World Interfaith Harmony Week". The prime minister graced a gathering of religious leaders, where he emphasised that inter-faith dialogue must continue to remain relevant in our multi-religious Malaysia, and that genuine dialogue would lead to interfaith harmony.
Interestingly, he also cautioned about the rise of extremism, noting that he had proposed a global movement of moderates when addressing the UN General Assembly last year.
Most people, including the authorities, may not be aware that in early 2006, Malaysia had witnessed a unique event to celebrate such a dialogue that our prime minister has so ardently promoted. It was called the Penang Global Ethic Project. A string of delegates and observers from a multitude of faiths had converged in George Town for a series of forums, exhibitions and tours.
The concept of "global ethic" was inspired by a declaration of the same name at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in 1993. Prepared by about 200 scholars from various cultures, it refers to common moral values and ethical standards shared by all faiths.
But soon after it began, the initiative was hit by a wave of protests. There was dissent from certain quarters in Malaysia against the very notion that religions be placed together on a single platform.
Ironically enough, the Malaysian soil is known to have evolved one of the most multi-hued spectrum of religious communities in the world. It is only here, after all, that a single street can have, within just a 10-minute walk, some of the most enchanting monuments of worship – Christian, Taoist, Hindu and Muslim – existing side-by-side for almost two centuries.
The global ethic project in Penang was significant as it went beyond the simplistic platitudes of parading religious costumes side-by-by, and the oft-repeated calls for "tolerance" and "harmony" by those who barely understand the essence of such values.
Malaysia once played host to a brilliant international forum where faiths from across the world converged, where there was a genuinely meaningful and profound sharing of issues – peace, the environment, good governance – that bind different cultures in humanity. But it was forced to a tragic halt by the very sort of extremism that our prime minister has warned on the stage of the world.
So the celebration of the UN Interfaith Harmony Week is an apt juncture for our leaders to revive the Penang Global Ethic Project.
And the exhortation of the prime minister makes it even more opportune to demonstrate the commitment and desire they have so vaunted, for fostering genuine inter-faith dialogue, in a country where such assimilation has been a feature among the communities for centuries.
** Republished with permission. This article first appeared in the Feb 24, 2011 issue of the theSun. Himanshu is theSun’s Penang bureau chief.
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