Ethnicity, religion are separate and far apart

Ethnicity, religion are separate and far apart 

By: Tan Sri Panglima Herman Luping 

Reading the comments made by various people - Muslims and Non-Muslims - regarding the separation of ethnic origin and religion, it seems that the majority are in favour of distinguishing separating ethnicity and religion - that the two must not be confused as one.

If your religion is Islam, then you are Islam, and follows all the precepts of that religion. But if at the same time, your ethnic origin is say, Kadazan, then you belong to this particular ethnic group or community and whether the Kadazan's religion is Islam or Christian, it really does not matter.

His religion does not alter his ethnicity.

This is the view of the Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman in a statement. His statement made it clear that the Mufti spoke on his own and was "out of turn" in his views on the matter.

This is also the considered opinion of one Kadazandusun Muslim leader, Datuk Masidi Manjun. He is reported to have said that ethnicity and religion should not be confused. And I agree with him.

The confusion came from the suggestion of the State Mufti - Bungsu @Aziz Jaafar who called for a programme to 'Malaynise" Sabah's indigenous Muslims. He made this suggestion at the symposium discussing the Malay leadership Crisis in Putrajaya where he said many indigenous Muslims in Sabah still refused to call themselves Malay. "We need a programme to meMelayukan (make Malay) these Malay tribes - "For the sake of the Malay Muslim community, these Malay tribes who are already Muslims must be made Malay", he said.

He also made a stupid assumption of the "Kadazan which according to him was an "allegedly "invented" ethnic group made of non-Muslim Dusun people who are mostly Catholics".

I will comment on his allegation that the term Kadazan is an "invented" ethnic group of non-Muslim Dusun who are mostly Catholics" later.

It deserves a longer comment.

His suggestion to "meMelayukan these Malay tribes" for the Malay Muslim communities - and I supposed this include the Bajau and Suluk communities who are mostly Muslims - received rebuttals from various ethnic leaders.

Two of them I have already mentioned - that of the Chief Minister and Datuk Masidi Manjun - a Kadazandusun born Muslim from Ranau. Their suggestion that ethnicity and religion should not mixed or be confused is the most reasoned views and deserves our support. For indeed, our leaders must make reasonable suggestions devoid of emotionalism.

The views expressed by the PBS leaders - Datuk Johnny Mositiun and Datuk Herbert Lagadan also deserve our attention and support.

Both have expressed a fear that this proposed programme to meMalayukan the Malay tribes could heralds misunderstanding amongst the various indigenous communities in Sabah.

UPKO's youth chief, Ewon Benedict who accused the Mufti's suggestion as a total disregard to racial harmony in Sabah. He questioned the Mufti's motives as "politically motivated and part of a plan to change the demographical landscape in Sabah that was started during the era of the USNO government".

"It is also confirmed now that an Islamisation programme in the 1970s was implemented to change the State's demography and making Islam the official religion of the State as the Mufti himself admitted", he continued.

That nearly all Sabah indigenous leaders in Sabah do not agree or support the "programme" by the Mufti bodes well for the future wellbeing of the State.

1Malaysia is still the catch call, the number one agenda for and of the people.

And the fear that the Mufti's motivation might have a hidden agenda - to change the demography of the State and nation, does not really holds.

I have read it somewhere and also heard from many sources, that the demography of Sabah has been changing for more than 100 years.

The large and extensive hitherto unpatrolled border between Sabah and its near neighbours, have made the "borders" very "porous" and easy to enter by people from the other side of the border and this has been going on for ages.

The North Borneo Chartered Company government actually welcomed these people to come and "help built" the State - as man power was needed to work in the plantations (rubber) and also in the construction works.

This process has been going on for years - and not just in 1970s.

Perhaps in the 1970s, the process was accelerated for various reasons, mostly political as one Professor, Dr Karmal Sadiq of the University of California, wrote recently; but it has been going on for years. And if there were people who called themselves "Malay" because they are Muslims and fit the definition of what constitutes a Malay in accordance with article 160 of the Federal Constitution, then so be it.

He is a Malay. Such a person is the former Prime Minister - Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammed. I have read about him and also what other people - mostly his detractors called him - that he should be an Indian by ethnicity.

But he preferred to identify himself as a Malay and to me, in all his dealings as a politician and leader, he spoke for the Malay and Malay unity.

Surely there is nothing wrong with this. It is only when we become bigoted and narrow minded in our attitude about our origin and religion must we become alarm. It does not auger well for the future of the country.

Further more, It is clear now that the Mufti was speaking on his own behalf and not on behalf of any one else. The Chief Minister made it very clear that the State BN government under him does not tolerate the Mufti's suggestion to "meMalayukan" Sabah native Muslims. In any case, he, the Mufti also ridiculed and made slur remarks about the Kadazandusun leaders who are the coalition partners of the Sabah BN coalition government. For the Mufti to say that the term "Kadazan" is an invented Dusun race does not only show ignorance on his part but also a great insult to the Kadazandusun indigenous community.

The term Kadazan is the original name of the community from the Nunuk Ragang days. It means the "people" and the term is used in the Bobohizan incantations or rinait - prayers. In fact, in the Penampang district in which the term Kadazan has been in use since time immemorial, there are two types of Bobohizan - Kadazan and Tangaah.

Tangaah is the tribal name of the people in Penampang and Papar districts.

The orher tribes of the same speech- community now referred to as the Kadazandusun, are: Rungus, (Matunggung) Kimaragang (Kota Merudu-Pitas) Liwan (Ranau and Tambunan) Kwijau (Keningau) Lotud (Tuaran-Temparuli), Tindal (Tempasuk) Bongi (Banggi), Tatanah (Kuala Penyu) Bisaya (Klias) and many more subtribes. All these people speak the same language.

Differentiated only by the dialects they use.

What is new is the term "dusun" and it is not even a race.

It was used by the Brunei overlords as a slur word for the Kadazan of Penampang. I have written about this before.

For the Mufti to say that the term Kadazan is "invented" and was meant largely for the Catholics is, as I said, not only due to ignorance on his part about the native indigenous communities of Sabah but I am afraid an insult to the Kadazandusun leaders, the Huguan Siou, Tan Sri Joeph Pairin Kitingan and more more, amongst them, the great Kadazandusun leader (a Kwijau) the late Sodomon Gunsanad - who happens to be also the direct ancestor of the present Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman. And yes, Musa is Muslim, but he is also part Kadazandusun - belonging to the Kwijau tribe.

Some one also mentioned about the " mass conversion" or pangislaman in the 70s and early 80s. I only have this to say. The great Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first Prime Minister, questioned that "episode" and called it "farcical" to a group of us who went to see him. And there was a judge from Kelantan - a very devout Muslim who told us a peculiar experience he encountered in Sabah.

He told us that he was driving on his way to the interior one day.

He saw a man wearing a Malay Songkok carrying a live pig in a cage.

He stopped to ask him why he was wearing a Songkok and whether he was a Muslim, and was told that he got the hat together with a sarong and shirt from an organisation.

He was told that the hat and sarong was his uniform.

He said he is not a Muslim! I think this encounter with the judge and the man wearing a Songkok speaks volumes about the so-called "mass conversion".

What I know about this episode is that the "culprits" who were in the forefront of the so-called "mass conversion" were the newly converts who had agendas of their own. Enough said. This episode is treated elsewhere by writers and this is now part of Sabah's history.

Daily Express Newspaper