Living in a peaceful and harmonious environment is important when the society consists of diverse races and religious adherents.
In order to preserve a harmonious society, the right and freedom in practising religions should be given to all multi-religious adherents.
Appreciation of the religious diversity in a multi-religious society is an essential factor in maintaining social harmony. This is in line with where appreciating kindness and common values of other religions is among the important elements in maintaining harmony.
The government plays an important role by enforcing various efforts and policies. There are several programmes, activities and policies that have been invented by the government to ensure all citizen with different ethnic and religious backgrounds to mingle with each other.
The practice of mutual respect and tolerance among the multi-racial and multi-religious people in the state has created lasting peace and stability in Sarawak.
All races and religions ought to accommodate one another so as to give sustenance to social unity.
Sarawak Premier, YAB Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg highlighted The ‘Sarawak’s Formula’ for maintaining racial and religious harmony during a Regional Islamic Da’wah Council for Southeast Asia and the Pacific (RISeAP) engagement session in Auckland (June 2023).
“Respect must be accorded to other races and religions as respect can only be earned in the inclusive development of religion and races,” stress Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari.
He pointed out that in Sarawak, it is his duty to ensure that those whose religions are other than Islam, are given parallel opportunities to thrive based on the Maqasid Syariah’ principle which are protection of life, protection of property, protection of health, protection of religion,
and protection of dignity.
Other religions in Sarawak were assisted through Unit for Other Religions (UNIFOR) under the purview of his office to ensure that they had proper worship in line with the protection of religion and upholding of human and religious dignity.
The differences in race, religion and faith should not lead to dispute and disunity among the people.
Instead, such differences should represent the natural character of human beings that ought to be appreciated.
