EVERY Ramadan, I have high hopes of having a month of quiet, spiritual reflection. However, like clockwork, every year during Ramadhan my rose-tinted glasses will shatter not under the burden of fatigue and thirst; but under exasperation when faced with nonsensical acts committed by fellow human beings.

This year, the month of Ramadhan began with the invasion of Marawi in the Philippines by the Daesh group, with a death toll of 19 civilians. Coverage of this in the news has caused the suspension of two senior editors of The Star newspaper, following the uproar by some overly sensitive Muslims over the allegedly misleading publication of a headline together with a photo of Malaysian Muslims performing Tarawikh prayers.

As the month progressed, news of recurrent attacks in Kabul, the rampage in the streets of London barely a fortnight on the heels of the suicide bombing in Manchester, and more recently, the terrorist attacks on Tehran has left me numb.

Closer to home, the act of cruelty against Allahyarham Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain, a student at the Malaysian National Defense University (UPNM) who was tortured to death over a laptop, made me wonder whether the belief that devils are chained up during this month is true; or that, as human beings, we have truly lost the ability to forgive, to have empathy, and to be compassionate. There is a lot to process emotionally when reading such news, especially when there is the personal need for mercy and forgiveness from the Almighty that all Muslims seek during this holy month.

The discourse on social media following such news almost always revolves around identity. Muslims were quick to point out that “real Muslims” do not seek to cause terror, denouncing terrorists as not true Muslims. After all, this is the justification by certain Malay Muslim groups in their police report against The Star, that the portrayal on the newspapers’ front page links terrorism to Islam.

Scholars have argued that Islam has never had a nation state and that the Daesh dreams of an Islamic State do not reflect the true teachings of Islam. Muslims worldwide would share tweets and Facebook statuses along these lines, both as a reassurance that “our” Islam is indeed peaceful and inclusive, and to act as a talisman against the extremism that seeks to divide humanity into good and evil.

Yet, as we can see from news on cases of abuse and acts of terror, humans have a penchant for cruelty and violence, regardless of religion. The fact remains that a number of the militants in Marawi are Malaysians, Malay and Muslim.

Is “othering” terrorists, to the extent of some mosques refusing to bury them, the simple solution to extremism? Or is it time for us to reflect upon our relationships with fellow humans and learn how to peacefully live together?

An ongoing study by the IMAN Research outfit, known as the Assalamualaikum Project, reported that Malay youths are more comfortable to assert their identity as Muslims, rather than identifying as Malay and Malaysians. I quote from the article by IMAN’s founder, Dina Zaman, “They may not agree with ISIS/Daesh, but they turn to one identity (Muslim) because that is all they have to give them hope for a future.”

Another study commissioned by CIMB Foundation and conducted by the Blavatnik School of Government and Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, further reported that for Malays, this “Malay, Muslim” identity defines their identity as Malaysians. This contrasts with study respondents who are ethnically Chinese and Indians, who define being Malaysian as a more collective identity, by having more inter-ethnic interactions and relations.

Taken together, these studies provide the foundation  understanding the reality, not only of our Malaysian society. More than that, it could also prove useful in understanding and curbing the ideology of “radicalism in the name of Islam” as propagated by Daesh. These studies should be taken into consideration when designing new policies – be it for economic empowerment, or to improve race-relations within a multi-ethnic, multi-religious society.

In a recent interview on #TN50, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, suggested a revamp of our public education system to have only integrated schools; allowing for our multi-ethnic communities to grow up together. While ambitious, the theory is sound – and could provide a more organic space for interfaith understanding and improved race-relations, leading towards a more inclusive Malaysian identity. The question is whether these are simply hollow discussions echoing through the #TN50 town halls, or if the political will does exist to push these ideas through to full-fledged implementation.

Policy papers can only do so much. Civil society must step up to highlight the important issues, and to act as a balm from divisive politics played by irresponsible politicians.

While there are no simple solutions, perhaps there can be a simple act to restore our faith this holy month. A group of Malaysians have launched “Puasa for Malaysia” (#Puasa4Msia) to be held this coming Saturday, June 17^th, 2017. This annual event calls for Malaysians from all backgrounds to fast in solidarity for one day, and sit together for sahur as well as for buka puasa. It is hoped that such events would forge new friendships and somehow lead to a more accepting, tolerant society that practises mature politics.

In the words of Allahyarham Rehman Rashid, “It is not who we should become, but who we are.” – June 11, 2017.

* Lyana Khairuddin is currently reading for a Master of Public Policy at The Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford; funded by Chevening-Khazanah Scholarship. Lyana was formerly a researcher at Penang Institute.The opinion here is her own and does not represent the views of her funders, the School or university.

* 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.