Moderation Movement, a Comprehensive Concept for the Benefit of Mankind

By ISMAIL AMSYAR MOHD SAID KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 13 (Bernama) -- At a time when extremism has emerged as the most potent threat across the world, the much hailed Global Movement of Moderates (GMM), conceived in 2010, is still seen by most Malaysians and the international community as a move merely aimed at combating terrorism and extremism. In reality, it encompasses a far larger domain, and is different from what it is generally understood to represent. While stemming the rising tide of extremism and bigotry could be among the key aims of the GMM, it cannot and must not be viewed as a movement that grants space to any wrong notion in the name of accommodation and moderation. If the purpose of the movement is to unite all Malaysian citizens, then how deep is our citizens’ understanding and appreciation of this concept? Undoubtedly, most people understand the moderation concept, but such an understanding is only superficial. Many fail to grasp the core idea of what is meant by a moderation movement, and it is this that makes them conclude that the GMM can be used as an argument or excuse to champion wrongdoings. Some voices project GMM as just another form of political rebranding with an uncertain direction. So, what exactly is meant by the moderation movement and how can this concept be appreciated and effectively implemented? GLOBAL MOVEMENT OF MODERATES The idea of GMM was introduced by Prime Minister Najib Razak on Sept 27, 2010, in his speech at the 65th United Nations National Assembly (UNGA) where he called upon world leaders and those who are religious to condemn and reject extremism and come together to support the GMM. The premier further detailed the concept at some prestigious platforms, including the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, the East-West Centre and Asia-Europe Meetings, besides the ASEAN Summit. Three years after he floated the much welcomed idea, Najib will once again urge world leaders to join hands and push for the GMM in his speech at the 68th United Nations National Assembly (UNGA) in New York this September. The Prime Minister maintained that the real gap is not between the East and West, between the developed and the developing nations or between Islam, Christianity and Jews. It is between the moderates and the extremists in all religions. A dedication to the concept of moderation can also shape regional policy, one example being how GMM is at the core of Malaysia’s efforts to bring about peace in the turbulent southern Philippines and southern Thailand, the premier said. MODERATION MOVEMENT AND THE 1MALAYSIA CONCEPT Reiterating that while GMM could be a new concept, Associate Professor Dr Mohamed Fadzil Che Din, President of the National Board of Counsellors said the movement’s origins lie in the moderate nature of the previous administration, and hence Malaysia has long practised moderation. “When Najib became the Prime Minister, he introduced the idea of 1Malaysia – firstly, the people’s interests come first, and secondly, performance takes the topmost priority. Thirdly, instilling good values and following best practices is something necessary to all Malaysians,” he told Bernama. The core of the 1Malaysia ideology can be narrowed down to two main principles of finding commonalities and understanding differences, said Fadzil, who is also the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Student Affairs at the National Defence University (UPNM). However, he added, if differences exist despite efforts to find commonality, citizens should understand these and learn to live with such differences. That, effectively, is the meaning of moderation. It is in this context that the element of moderation, as put forth for the Malaysians, exists. MODERATION IN THE PSYCHOLOGICAL POINT OF VIEW Explaining the concept of GMM from a psychological point of view, Fadzil said any two or more individuals in a group may encounter disagreements about their rights, overlapping of rights, conflicts of rights or shared rights. “The Malays, the Chinese and the Indians will always want to claim their rights. In the process of overriding and conflicting claims when it comes to rights, there is no exercise of moderation; in psychology, we call it the concept of “self-assertiveness,” he said. According to Fadzil, the self-assertiveness concept refers to a process where an individual claims his rights without interfering with those of others. “We have to explain the 1Malaysia concept first, as it incorporates features like unity, tolerance, finding commonalities, understanding differences and abhorrence of disputes. “Finally, among the Muslims, there is the concept of wasatiyyah (moderation). The Malay Muslims practice the wasatiyyah concept, which means acts of moderation in everything we do. We do not have to be too aggressive.” MODERATION IN WASATIYAH Senior Lecturer at Fiqh and Usul al-Fiqh Department, Faculty of Humanitarian Science and Revelation Studies, International Islamic University, Malaysia (UIAM), Dr Mazlee Malikin, a meeting with Bernama, said that the concept of moderation and wasatiyyah, which is urged in Islam, are two different concepts altogether. "Wasatiyyah cannot be loosely translated as moderation. It is actually a wrong translation. The more accurate translation can be derived from the one given by the Indian Islamic scholar, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, who translates wasatiyyah as ‘justly balanced’. "If the issue revolves around the word ‘moderation,’ then a question can arise as to moderation from whose perspective?” he said. He gave an example of individuals who call themselves liberal Muslims, who feel that they are moderates, but treat individuals with ideologies different from their own as extremists. The same goes with the extremists, and others. According to Abdullah Yusuf Ali, the debate is more about who is more moderate, and unfortunately, the moderation issue was pushed to the forefront only after the Sept 11, 2011 tragic incident, when the Rand Corporation report was published. RAND CORPORATION REPORT He said the Rand report sought to portray moderation as a quality practised by liberal Muslims, by which it meant Muslims who worship Western ideologies. Maszlee said, in his view such a definition of moderation is too problematic because it sounds too colonial and westernised, to the extent that it separates certain terms from their source and cultural contexts. “When certain individuals want to champion the idea of moderation based on the way the term is defined by the Rand Corporation, they are brushing off its source. When the source is brushed off, it is the person sandwiched in the middle who is affected. He will be like a WOG – Western Oriented Gentleman,” he said. Maszlee advocates that in order to better define and understand this concept, citizens should better appreciate the gist of the moderation movement concept. This is because, in his view, what is happening in Malaysia is that the concept was brought forward as a political rebranding before any content was embedded in it. “It has to be done in reverse, which is to introduce and implement the gist of the concept first. Only then, people will be familiar with the word on the basis of its content,” he added. -- BERNAMA