GROWING up in Malaysia prepares one for a multinational career in many ways. Almost every Malaysian is bilingual, and a large segment of that speak a third or even fourth language or dialect.

While many large organisations and MNCs spend big money on diversity training and talks on multiculturalism, we generally receive such training all our lives, thanks to the fear of hurting or offending our neighbours, or being placed under Internal Security Act detention, or a little bit of both.

Politicians know this very well. In communally-diverse countries like Malaysia, race and religion have long been used to rally, justify, divert and occasionally, pacify the masses over actions or inactions of political individuals or parties.

But while this sensitivity to other people’s feelings is generally a good thing, dwelling on it for too long or too wide, could quickly turn a positive effect into a negative one, especially when it is purposely (mis)used for that effect.

Of late, this seems to be the case, not only in Malaysia, but across countries around the globe.

Myanmar and India has seen an upsurge of religious rhetoric, taking the place of race as the binding glue for right-wing nationalism.

In America, some evangelicals have made comparisons between Trump and two Biblical Kings – David and Cyrus. David was for most accounts, a great national leader albeit with poor moral choices, while Cyrus was a pagan who was raised by God to lead when his predecessor failed. Either one would imply that God himself anointed Trump to lead his country.

An insinuation that isn’t too far from what both political camps have said about Najib and Anwar, respectively. 

And that is part of the problem – increasingly frequent invocation of God, in places where He was not present before.

Sometimes, this association with religion comes back to haunt us in unholy ways. It prevents difficult questions from being asked, or personalities from reprimanded simply because of an association with religion, and the potential political backlash for coming down hard on anything perceived to be, religious in nature.

For instance, the recent tragic arson at a tahfiz school in Kuala Lumpur. Most politicians and civil servants alike were unusually measured and low-key in their responses, most chose to tiptoe around the school’s administrators and teachers and focus on safe topics to talk about like general fire safety and later on. When it was discovered to be a deliberate act of revenge, on drug laws, and somewhat ironically, lack of religious education for the perpetrators.

It probably would not be too much of a stretch to say that is the reason 211 fires in such schools in recent years have not really been discussed with concrete plans until this latest tragedy.  

Religion, particularly Islam, being the official religion of the country and of almost all states, is legislated and enforced in a rather complicated way involving both state and federal laws, various councils and committees at both levels and royal prerogative by the King and Sultans, each with specific but often overlapping areas of authority.

A wrong step by any one of these bodies could be misconstrued as being disrespectful to the structure in place, and the fiercely respected people behind those structures.

In other words, it is already a highly sensitive area, without the added weight of politics, that only serves to further complicate it.

This sensitivity makes it an appealing area for those sensitive or vulnerable to scrutiny.

Religious-related products and offerings are new to the market, and therefore, so is its enforcement and legislation, which has to now maneuver around oddly placed political figures.

This isn’t a new area peculiar to Muslims alone as other faiths have commercially run religious afterschool programmes, get rich quick schemes with a spiritual twist, alternative healing products based on various scriptures. These new offerings join more traditional fake faith healers, false gurus and make-believe mediums.

Too often nowadays, the clamping down on these quickly take on an ugly religious tone, accusing the other of having a hidden agenda against one religion or the other, almost always with a politician or two trying to outdo their rival in taking up the holy gauntlet.

Then in defence against that perceived insensitivity, an even more blatant display of insensitivity in the form of religion-bashing is carried out. The cycle continues and relations between the various religions worsen. Meanwhile, the people who ignited the topic are nowhere to be seen.

It shouldn’t be this way.

If we truly are a harmonious country we tell the world we are, we should be able to recognise common threats faced by our collective communities in an objective way, trusting in the spirit of brotherhood between faiths, before interpreting any well-intentioned comments as mal-intentioned insults, as an attack against religion, regardless whose it is. – September 19, 2017.

* Emmanuel Joseph firmly believes that Klang is the best place on Earth, and that motivated people can do far more good than any leader with motive.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.