From Mustafa K Anuar
Houses of worship opened their doors to victims of the gas pipeline blast in Putra Heights last week, drawing heartfelt appreciation from ordinary Malaysians and the authorities alike.
The Sri Maha Kaliamman Temple, USJ 9 Al Falah Mosque, Nurul Iman Mosque and Putra Height Mosque, which are in the vicinity of the tragic incident, have shown the world that you can build bridges to serve humanity, especially in the face of extreme adversity.
These religious sanctuaries doubled up as temporary shelters where the 112 victims of various ethnicities and faiths could seek urgent medical attention and other necessities.
It was clearly a much-needed relief for the victims, especially the owners and occupants of the 87 houses that were declared a total loss.
An image of a Muslim man praying at the Sri Maha Kaliamman Temple that went viral elicited from national unity minister Aaron Ago Dagang praise for the true spirit of unity in our diverse country.
Malaysian Advancement Party chairman P Waytha Moorthy chimed in, saying that unity in our multi-ethnic and multi-religious society was not a dream but a living reality.
Curiously, he also asserted that we could only forge a bond of peace, coexistence and love if religion and personal beliefs took a back seat.
That sounds strange as one would have thought that it was the common values such as love, compassion, respect and justice held in various religions that propelled the followers of respective faiths to come together for a good cause.
Granted, there are those who have a yen for weaponising religion to drive a wedge between communities.
The perpetrators could be certain preachers as well as politicians and influencers who misuse their social media platforms to sow seeds of discord among the diverse population.
Only recently a Muslim lawmaker was heavily criticised for having visited a Hindu temple to meet up with the Indian community in his constituency. Opening doors to visitors should not be read in a cavalier fashion as a subtle attempt to undermine ones faith.
It is, therefore, all the more reason why leaders of faiths, particularly those who are conscientious and concerned about the underlying religious and ethnic tension in our society, should come forward to help prevent or resolve religious conflicts and promote mutual understanding, empathy, respect, peace and harmony.
To be clear, the endeavour to build bridges should emerge not only during such calamities as the gas pipeline fire. It should be an on-going process if we are serious about fostering ethno-religious harmony.
Neighbouring Indonesia, for instance, is also concerned about religious challenges. It has its own approach towards managing religious tension and conflict.
Its religious elites of Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism (the six officially recognised religions) hold regular dialogues in an interfaith effort to promote tolerance, respect, understanding and peace among the countrys communities.
They understand the dangers of religion being abused by irresponsible elements and extremists who could tear the countrys social fabric and impede socio-economic progress.
Driving a point home about inter-religious harmony and Unity in Diversity, the Indonesians even built a Hindu temple, a mosque, a Catholic church, a Protestant church and a Buddhist pagoda in a single Puja Mandala complex in Bali.
To complement the endeavours of the leaders of faiths, it was reported in 2018 that a group of scholars at Universitas Gajah Mada had worked on an early warning system that indicated security levels in real time and provided insights on preventing conflict.
While religious leaders may not be able to offer a quick fix to ethnic and religious conflicts, their efforts, however, would go a long way towards making a Malaysian nation that valorises mutual understanding, respect, compassion and human dignity.
Keep the doors opened for the sake of our future generations.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.