Sunday November 23, 2008
Islam does not dominate others
KUALA LUMPUR: The view that Islam monopolises any one culture, country, region or continent is not only outdated but also misleading, said the Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah.
He said Islam had a global presence as a universal faith and it could only be properly understood in that framework.
“There is also a need to recognise that Islam is not just about rituals and rules interpreted in a narrow legalistic sense. It encompasses practically every aspect of human life that deals with the temporal as well as the spiritual.
“Islamic studies, therefore, will be severely constrained and too circumscribed, if it does not seek to address the problems of this life in addition to dealing with those of the hereafter,” he said in his opening address at the Interna–tional Conference on New Horizons For Islamic Area Studies here yesterday.
Closer look: Raja Nazrin examining the gift presented him at the launch of the Islamic conference at Universiti Malaya. Also present were (from left) Japanese Ambassador to Malaysia Horie Masahiko, Universiti Malaya Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Gauth Jasmon and NIHU’s Islamic Area Studies programme director-general Prof. Sato Tsugitaka. – Bernama Raja Nazrin said Malaysia had been widely recognised as an exemplar of a modern, progressive and moderate Muslim country and had demonstrated that economic development and technology were not incompatible with Islam.
“Malaysia can thus become a voice in the global debate, helping to correct the current inter-religious misunderstandings that are dangerously dividing the world,” he said.
Raja Nazrin said in recent years, Islam and Muslims had come under intensive and critical global scrutiny while among non-Muslims, there was a desire to learn more about the religion.
As a result, Raja Nazrin said, publications on subjects related to Islam had increased phenomenally.
Islamic studies had also become a popular course in universities and colleges all over the world, with many Islamic universities and colleges established including in non-Muslim countries, he added.
The conference was organised by Japan’s National Institute for the Humanities (NIHU) in partnership with the Asia-Europe Institute, Universiti Malaya. - Bernama
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