The awakening of the civil society

It has been a year of tragedies. More recently, the Sydney Siege and the deaths of 132 school-going youths in Peshawar again throw Islam into a negative spotlight.

While I agree that it is not right to hold prejudice against any religion based on the action of a few, such stories really break one’s heart. I can’t help but feel defensive about my own religion, about the fact thatI believe that God is compassionate and all merciful, and would not want us humans killing each other. I wish people would see that, but the actions of these few really tainted the spirit of my religion.

Further, a chance conversation with a friend had her stating the obvious: “For a religion of compassion, Lyana, I do not see compassion in Muslims.”

Then, the #illridewithyou campaign happened in Sydney. It seems that the saying, as clichéd as it sounds, “there is always a silver lining”, is true. I also believe that hatred in this world can only be fought with love, and the way we have been “attacking” the Talibans is wrong. Bombarding violence with more violence is not the answer. Further, I feel the need for more voices condemning the Talibans, the IS as well as any violent fraction of any society; that these fractions do not represent Islam or any religion.

Yet, would making a lot of noise be enough? Should we not lead by example, whereby, we practice compassion, kindness, and respect as human beings, as the Muslimsand the humans that we are; thus amplifying the positive energy in the world?

I personally think any single individual would be able to impact a whole society simply by doing. It is again, our choice in choosing whether we want to act for the positive or create more discord and hatred in the society.

It was in this spirit that I became adamant in being the 26th signatory of the open letter by the Eminent 25 (E25). Through good luck, I got in touch with Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin and sought her opinion about an online petition. Following discussions with the rest of her team, she relayed to me that they would be grateful for such support. With help and input from both herself and Tariq Ismail of Aura Merdeka; “I am #26” was born; a week after the open letter was first published.

Pressing that “publish” button has got to be the scariest moment for me this year. I want to believe that there are many 3Ms who want to see the objectives of the open letter met, and Malaysians in general will support such a positive cause; but I couldn’t shakethe worry that I am no one prominent, I am only an ordinary Malaysian, and could I be the only person signing it?

As of the time of my writing, the ‘I am #26’ petition alone has reached 5,000 signatories. I am overwhelmed. Malaysians have yet again proved that we are an amazing group of people. There are now many other petitions out there and many more groups of prominent Malaysians who have come forward in support of the E25.

But what made me happiest is the avalanche of open discussion, articles and opinions shared by many, both on social media and in print.

I believe that all of us want our Malaysia back – we want to be able to live together, to be able to wish and visit each other during our many celebrations and public holidays without putting our religions on the guillotine; we want to co-exist peacefully, respecting our differences and be able to laugh again at our own stereotypical eccentricities without calling for each other’s blood in the name of racism.

I miss that Malaysia. I grew up with that Malaysia. It is high time that the civil society, us, the citizens, take action in ensuring that we can have that Malaysia back. I am overwhelmed knowing that there are at least 4,999 others who want the same thing. Thank YOU, Malaysians, for restoring hope in this one ordinary person who might be too naïve in her views about life, but always with the hopeful glimmer that everything will be okay. May this be the spark that moves us towards becoming a more positive, just and progressive country.

Have a happy Christmas! – December 24, 2014.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.