By Anil Netto
Recent events have revealed there are some quarters who appear almost desperate to break the unity among Malaysians for reasons best known to themselves. The latest incident, at the time of writing, involved the dumping of wild boar heads, wrapped in plastic bags, at two mosques in Old Klang Road.

The acts of desecration “demonstrate how sick perpetrators of such acts can be and to what extent they are willing to go to cause hurt and harm to religious communities. Their end is to drive a wedge between religious communities in the country,” said Rev Dr Thomas Philips, the president of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) .

“We who are law-abiding citizens must not allow them to succeed in their wicked mission.” Anyone who wants proof of the existence of evil need only look at the spate of attacks and acts of sacrilege — 18 at the time of writing — on Muslim, Christian and Sikh religious sites since Jan 8.

Christians — and those of other faiths — condemn in the strongest possible terms the acts of sacrilege committed at the mosques and other places of worship. No right-thinking Malaysian would even imagine that anyone could do such a thing.

While the forces of evil lurk in the dark (yes, it's always in the shadows or in the dark, isn’t it?), interreligious dialogues continue to take place.

Indeed, rays of hope are piercing through the darkness. It may be too early to say, but so far, Malaysians of all spiritual traditions have held together in the face of the most serious test to their unity in four decades. They have been provoked in the most serious way imaginable, but they have not fallen for the bait. That in itself is a defeat for those behind the attacks, and it must have frustrated them no end.

Malaysians blinked in disbelief but did not waver in their faith in the inherent goodwill and solidarity of their neighbours on the ground. It is almost as if they have told themselves that they will not fall prey to the diabolical forces intent on causing havoc in our country. One can only hope that they will stand firm if forced to face more severe tests.

We have much to be thankful for. In dialogues between Muslims and Christians and others since Jan 8, new bridges have been built and confidence restored. We have reacquainted ourselves with “the other”. The first step begins with friendship, genuine concern and reaching out to try and really understand one another’s faiths and spiritual traditions.

A group of Muslims at a dialogue in the parish hall (the old church) of the Church of the Nativity of our Blessed Virgin Mary on 28 January expressed hope that such dialogues would continue, which the Christians warmly welcomed. It was the first time since 1935, when the hall was built, that such a dialogue had taken place between Christians and Muslims. In fact, there may even be food served next time — a sure way to improve bonding!

The hope is that these dialogues will continue for it would be a pity if they end once the controversy has subsided.

There is no substitute for dialogue, just as there is no substitute for genuine people- centred leadership whether in the political or religious spheres. We need to shut out politicians who keep people apart instead of bringing them together, who breed suspicion, distrust and even hatred instead of love, compassion and real solidarity.

We share so much in common with one another, the most important being our common humanity. And if we believe in God, as we say we do, then we share a common Creator. It’s as simple as that.

Of course, we all have our doctrinal beliefs and dialogue cannot paper over such differences. What dialogue can do, if approached in humility and empathy, is to give us a better appreciation and respect not only for the considerable areas of commonality but also our differences. We can agree to disagree without being at each other’s throats. Hey, we can even be the best of friends, or even better, spiritual brothers and sisters or People of the Book, sharing a common heritage.

So it’s not all doom and gloom. The rays of light are shining through the gathering clouds. Those intent on tearing apart our social fabric can and must be frustrated.

Let the dialogues continue. We have so many challenges out there to confront and we need to tap into the well of divine spiritual energy to renew and revitalise ourselve so that together, we can confront the serious problems of poverty, climate change, hunger, disease and war.

For we can only succeed by working together.