Conference fosters Abdullah's message of Muslim moderation
A landmark conference that opens in Kuala Lumpur today is bringing together moderate Muslim leaders and internationally acclaimed Christian scholars.
It is seen as a boost for Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's campaign for a more moderate version of the religion, Islam Hadhari, that Malaysian conservatives condemn as an insult to the religion.
The two-day conference comes as Malaysia's Muslim majority and its significant Christian and Hindu minorities tussle over the right to freedom of worship.
The officially endorsed event is organised by the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations.
Hanging in the background of the conference is the case of Lina Joy, a Malay Muslim who converted to Christianity but has not been allowed to abandon the Islamic faith.
Conference organisers said the issue was among the subjects speakers would address.
Significant among the participants is Karen Armstrong, author of more than 15 books on God and Islam, several of which are banned in Malaysia, including her 1993 bestseller A History of God.
'It is important that Dr Armstrong is allowed to speak,' human right activist Maria Chin Abdullah said. 'The conference will boost moderate Islam and inter-faith dialogue.'
Dr Armstrong, who is a former nun and considered a world authority on Christianity, will speak on the challenges facing the Islamic world tomorrow.
'The conference hopes to bridge the information gap between Islam and the west and find a common language understood by both sides,' Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said.
Among other participants is Beate Winkler, the director of the Vienna-based European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, and an American expert on Islam, Sherman Jackson.
'The conference is a boost for Islam Hadhari and will reaffirm the universality of religious values and the importance of inter-faith dialogue,' said Chandra Muzzafar, president of the International Movement for a Just World.
'It is a significant conference and will help acceptance of Islam Hadhari principles in Malaysia and abroad,' added Zainah Anwar of the Muslim feminist group Sisters in Islam.
'There is an urgent need to reaffirm the principles of moderation, tolerance and inter-faith dialogue.'
But Muslim conservatives see Islam Hadhari's principles, such as the promotion of human rights and the protection of women and children, as against Islamic teachings.
'Islam is a complete religion given by God. There is no need to interpret it and give it a new twist like Islam Hadhari intends,' said Zulkifli Ahmad of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party.
The party opposes Islam Hadhari, which it sees as a threat to its political dominance in the Malay heartland states.
Mr Abdullah has been promoting Islam Hadhari across the country and this week urged Muslims to accept moderation and dialogue, which he said were key to Islam.
'We have the right credentials to promote Islam Hadhari to the world as well,' he said. 'This conference is a small step in that journey.'
