IPOH, July 29 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said it is important for Muslims to discuss other religions, cultures, and civilisations to live and thrive in a multiracial country like Malaysia.
Anwar said the lack of engagement on such topics was among reasons for the spread of Islamophobia.
“The West, after the post colonial period still retain the old precepts of the others. (Therefore, their) misunderstanding, misinformation and rejection of others is now term as Islamophobia.
“And we need to be blamed too when we talked about civilisation.
“How do we survive and live in a country like Malaysia, which is multiracial and multi religion, and avoid discussing other religions, cultures, civilisation and then demanding that the West countries must understand us,” he said.
Anwar said this in his speech at the 7th World Conference on Islamic Thought and Civilisation (WCIT) at the Casuarina Meru Hotel here.
Also present were Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, and Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad.
The prime minister also said events such as the WCIT were necessary for others to understand the Muslim community and vice versa.
“That is why we encourage dialogue and conference on Islamic matters because it is very relevant not only in Malaysia, but also in this region,” he said.
“This is not tolerance, it’s learning from one another, it is understanding one another and appreciating the differences. Because the difference in term of races, tribes and colours is determined by Allah,” he added.
