GEORGE TOWN: All quarters, especially political leaders must conduct some self-reflection to correct certain attitudes which are detrimental to the country and its citizens.
Penang Mufti Datuk Seri Dr Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor said those who succeeded in holding the reins of the government need to fulfil their responsibilities towards the people with trust and honesty.
He said those who are not chosen as leaders could help the government to put forward constructive views. He said this group of leaders must not blindly oppose or simply vent their anger, jealousy and resentment.
"Let the government that exists today work smoothly until the end of the term and the people will make a choice in the next general election whether they want to maintain the existing government or replace it with another party.
"This is how the democratic system should be practiced in our country, and this is also in line with the teachings of Islam," Wan Salim said today,
When quoting a verse from Surah Al-Hujurat in the Quran, he said when a person is open minded and mingles with other people of other races or tribes, these people will eventually share their values among each other.
Wan Salim said if a person only mixes with a certain racial group in his or her daily life, it leads to narrow-mindedness.
"Such individuals are prejudiced against other people and parties and they tend to take a hostile attitude towards anyone who has a different view or stance.
"At a time when the world has turned into a global village, Muslims and others must now undergo a paradigm shift and take a more open approach."
He said even western countries in Europe and the United States were now taking an increasingly inclusive attitude and accept diversity.
"European countries also accept Muslim refugees and they are given treatment and the right of citizenship or permanent residence, so there is no longer the term 'kafir harbi' (enemies of Islam) inherited from the time of the Crusades, instead it is replaced by sharing the homeland or 'al-muwatanah'.
"This is what should be understood and further appreciated by Malaysians.
"Prosperity, respect or courtesy under the concept of a Civilized Nation requires every citizen to be inclusive, open and able to live together in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and tolerance.
He said practicing obsessive attitudes and having people being closed-minded about things were are outdated in today's world.
He said such attitudes would hinder progress and development because too much focus will be spent on trying to resolve trivial issues related to the polemics about conceptualisations and methodological issues, among other things.
