Wasatiyyah and Its Relevancy to Religious Tolerance and Co-Existence in a Multi Religious State: Malaysia as a Case Study

This research on wasatiyyah addresses Islamophobia, extremism and terrorism which happen all around the world. Extremism exists among all practitioners of cults and religions of the world, including Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and people of other beliefs. However, the fear of Islam has made people easily judge Muslims as terrorists. The West has perceived Muslim as its enemy for many decades. Thus, it is quite a big challenge for the next millennium to change this point of view. In fact, both Muslims and non-Muslims can reach proper understanding of Islam through the concept of wasatiyyah (moderation). This research, therefore, is an attempt to explore the concept of wasatiyyah and its implementation in the modern era, especially the application of wasaṭiyyah and its relevancy to promoting religious tolerance and co-existence in a multi religious state like Malaysia. Thus, the objectives of this research are to discuss the concept of wasatiyyah in Islam, especially the views of Mohammad Hashim Kamali and Mohd Kamal Hassan, and to see the practice and application of the concept of wasaṭiyyah in contemporary Malaysia as a multiethnic and pluralistic society. The current study was conducted through descriptive qualitative method. The content analysis approach was used to analyze the primary materials for the research. It is expected that the research refines our knowledge on peaceful inter-religious co-existence in contemporary society. It will also serve as guidance on the ideal way of practicing Islam in order to counter the extremism and to foster the peaceful co-existence between Muslims and adherents of other religious traditions in the world. Finally, the concept of wasatiyyah offers a platform for promoting tolerance and peaceful co-existence in societal life from different faiths and ethnics.