Muslims coexist with Christians in Borneo

"The native people of Borneo are devout Christians, who live in harmony with Muslims. The religious harmony in Borneo should be a model for the entire nation." This is what Catholic Bishop Joseph Hii Teck Kwong of Sibu, located in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, said in a March 10 interview. He was in Rome for a course held at the International Center for Missionary Animation. In his diocese, as in all of East Malaysia, the Christians belong to the local indigenous tribes.

The bishop said, "The many different indigenous tribes were evangelized by missionaries in the late 1800s, who learned both the local language and Iban, a language still in use today. The missionaries translated books of catechism and prayer. We have a deep gratitude to them for bringing us the faith and for having allowed the Gospel to take root in Borneo."

In the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, the indigenous Christians constitute about 50% of the total population, while Malay Muslims make up about 30% and the Chinese community constitutes 20%. The bishop explained "In Borneo's society there is social and interreligious harmony. We have cases where, in the same tribe, there are Muslims and Christians who share the same culture and traditions. The relationship with the Muslim Malays is marked by mutual respect and is devoid of conflict. I believe that this experience could be a model for the entire nation."

In January 2010, when Malaysia faced the case of using the word "Allah", the Christians of Borneo, with official permission from the government, continued to use it in their language of Iban. "The local Muslims have not shown any signs of antipathy. And if the government encourages us to use Bahasa Malaysia as the national language, I believe all citizens should be free to use it in all its senses, for their worship."

He concluded, saying "In Borneo, we have not experienced social or religious unrest on that matter. We live in peace and we will not allow a minority group of extremists to manipulate the issue, to make it a national emergency. I am convinced that the matter can be resolved with the help of religious leaders and dialogue between the different components in the matter."

Source: FIDES