不能对他族宗教一无所知

911 and Al-Qaedah have ushered in a new era, splitting the world into “terrorists” and “non-terrorists”。 A religious divide pitting Muslims against non-Muslims is not the answer to a strong, cohesive Singapore.

　　History is replete with examples showing followers of different faiths committing atrocities in the name of religion. But what a religion preaches and how its followers behave are two completely different things.

　　So-called religious fanatics typically have a shallow understanding of the religion they claim to profess or may （mis）use religion to mask their political ambitions.

　　The creation of people like Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein has got more to do with politics as followers of current affairs will know, especially when their rise to power is examined.

　　Meanwhile, closer to home, Singaporean members of the Jemaah Islamiah（JI） targetted Americans whom they saw as supporting Israel and the continued persecution of Palestinians in apartheid conditions.

　　They showed a shallow understanding of Islam when they disregarded the Qur'anic injunction that says： “O you who have attained faith！ …Never let hatred of anyone lead you to the sin of deviating from justice. ”

　　In other words, Islam makes it clear that it is a sin to let one's hatred for the perpetrators of injustice to lead one to commit the same injustice, for example, by causing harm to innocent individuals.

　　So, terrorism is clearly against the teachings of Islam and everything it stands for. While irresponsible terrorists have “hijacked” the good name of Islam, Singaporean Muslims find themselves much saddened that their beloved religion, which stands for peace, has been maligned. At the same time, they realise that they have to play a bigger role in showing other Singaporeans what true Islam is.

　　It is a point worth noting that Singaporean members of JI were deviationists operating at the fringes of society, just like Osama. They were not part of the mainstream Muslim community which was as shaken and dismayed as other Singaporeans at their terrorist plans.

　　So, how do we deal with the threat of terrorism？ The key to this is to forge stronger, common bonds as Singaporeans while respecting each other's religious faiths, beliefs and cultures at a more than skin deep level.

　　This social “super-glue” is crucial if we are to withstand new and global threats together as a united people. It is not impossible. A case in point would be my personal experience as a Muslim woman.

　　Since 911, the headscarf worn by Muslim women has made them easy targets for hate crimes worldwide, even though interest in Islam as a religion has picked up. That was why I asked a few non-Muslims point blank if they had a problem with me wearing it. No, they said. They had no problem with it.

　　A non-Muslim Chinese friend of mine said that it was strange that covering up had become a big deal when exposing one's flesh, which to her speaks of a decline in morality, is now widely accepted, especially among youths.

　　The non-Muslims that I met even after 911 did not see the headscarf as something that prevented them from interacting with their Muslim friends. They treated their friends as individuals in their own right.

　　What this shows is, good friendships between Muslims and non-Muslims have the power to overcome what they do not have in common - even prejudice. It is a wonderful, awesome thing that we tend to take for granted - when it should be something that we truly treasure and appreciate.

　　The newly-initiated Inter-racial Confidence Circles （ICC） run by the Community Development Councils （CDCs） get the thumbs up from me. So do the public talks given by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore （Muis） which began much earlier than the unfortunate 911. Hopefully, these will help to clear up misconceptions that Singaporeans may have about each other and forge better understanding.

　　I personally feel that a National Education programme for students to visit places of worship should be made compulsory to open up young minds and promote inter-religious understanding. This is even more crucial now.

　　Ignorance is not bliss for any Singaporean, whether it is on the part of Muslims or non-Muslims. Out of such initiatives, they will learn that all religions enjoin goodness.

　　（The writer is a free-lance writer and consultant. She has worked closely with the Muslim community for the past five years. She contributed this article to Zaobao）

　　九一一事件和卡伊达组织改变了世局,把世人归类为“恐怖分子”和“非恐怖分子”。在新加坡,回教徒和非回教徒如果因为宗教分歧而产生对立,将不利于营造一个具有强大凝聚力的社会。

　　利用宗教的名义进行暴行的例子,在历史上屡见不鲜。但是,一个宗教宣扬的教义和追随者的行为却是两回事,不能混为一谈。

　　宗教狂热分子通常对他们的信仰不甚了了,有一些则是利用宗教来掩饰政治目的。

　　熟悉时事的人都知道,奥萨马和胡申等人能够掌握权力,政治是主要的原因。

　　回教祈祷团的新加坡成员以美国人为攻击目标,因为他们认为美国人支持以色列,和被隔离的巴勒斯坦人继续被迫害。

　　他们无视于《可兰经》的教义,即“不要因为憎恨他人的心理,犯下背离正义的罪行。”换句话说,回教教义清楚的指出,因为憎恨他人违反正义的行为,诉诸同样违反正义的行为,也是一种罪行。例如,对无辜的人造成伤害。

　　恐怖主义很明显的和回教教义背道而驰。不负责任的恐怖分子“骑劫”了回教,损害了回教的名誉。鼓吹和平的回教被恶意诬蔑,让新加坡回教徒感到非常悲哀。他们也意识到必须扮演更大的角色,让非回教徒国人认识回教的真谛。

　　回教祈祷团的新加坡成员已经偏离了回教教义,他们在社会的边缘运作,就像奥萨马一样。他们不是本地回教徒主流社会的一分子。和其他新加坡人一样,回教徒主流社会也对他们所策划的恐怖活动感到震惊。

　　我们要如何应付恐怖主义的威胁？关键在于加强凝聚力和我们都是新加坡人的认同感。同时,不同种族之间也要真正的尊敬彼此在宗教、语言和文化上的差异。

　　在面对新的环球威胁时,这种社会“强力胶”将能帮助我们团结一致克服困难。我本身的经历便是一个很好的例子。

　　九一一后,回教徒妇女因为穿戴头巾,使她们在世界各地成为明显的报复目标。因此,我开门见山的问一些非回教徒朋友,我戴头巾会不会给他们带来任何困扰,他们一致的说这绝对不是问题。其中一个华族告朋友诉我,年轻女孩子穿着越来越暴露,象征了道德的沦落,人们却已经见怪不怪,她不明白为什么戴头巾反而会成为一个问题。

　　和我在九一一后碰面的非回教徒朋友,都不认为头巾问题会影响和回教徒朋友的交往。他们不会以异样的眼光看待所有的回教徒。这证明了回教徒和非回教徒之间的坚固友谊,可以超越彼此的差异甚至偏见。我们应该感到兴奋和高兴,并舍弃什么都是理所当然的一贯态度,好好珍惜这种良好的关系。

　　我完全赞同不久前推行,由社区发展理事会负责的族群互信圈。我也支持新加坡回教理事会早在九一一前便已时常举行的公开讲座。我希望这些努力能够消除新加坡人之间可能存在的误解,并促进彼此的认识。

　　我建议成立一个强制性国家教育计划,安排学生参观庙宇和教堂,让年轻人对宗教有更好的认识,也同时促进不同宗教族群的相互了解。

　　不论是回教徒或者非回教徒,新加坡人都不能对彼此的宗教一无所知。通过积极的方式互相认识,大家最终会明白所有宗教的目的都是宣扬真、善、美。

　　（作者是一名自由撰稿人,也从事顾问工作,过去5年来一直活跃于回教徒社会,这是她特为早报撰写的文章。叶琦保译。）

白城翻译公司推荐阅读