PAS National Unity Committee chairman Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa says remarks touching on race and the religious sensitivities of other communities remain a challenge but he will continue efforts to reach out to all Malaysians. On the left is Bishop Sebastian Francis at a luncheon hosted by Mujahid. – Pic courtesy of Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa, January 28, 2015.PAS National Unity Committee chairman Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa, who is well-known for his work in building bridges to bring Muslim and non-Muslim communities together, is not letting anyone stand in his way.Even though his party leaders sometimes made remarks that touched on race and the religious sensitivities of other communities, he said such "challenges" would not hamper his efforts to create unity among all Malaysians."I won't say they will hamper my work. They are just challenges, which will not stand in the way of the greater good. That is a historical fact. If you want to do something big, you need to think and act big."I do face criticism within my party as well, and sometimes they are not based on my work. It is political assassination but that is part of the dynamics of a political party. People who attack others often have their own motives," he told The Malaysian Insider today.Yesterday, Mujahid and several other local PAS grassroots leaders met Christian leaders in Penang for a luncheon. Among those present at the small, informal and closed event was Bishop Sebastian Francis."It was not held for any special reason. I have a good relationship with the bishop and since it is the start of the new year, it was good to get together for lunch and to go deeper into the programmes we want to do," he said.Mujahid said there are plans to do more than just have dialogues with the Christian community, such as going down to the ground to help those in need.He said there are plans for a programme called "Common Word" where both Muslims and Christians, who are people of the Book, could come together and fulfil their social obligations in a humanistic approach."People of different faiths can share common struggles. We can always work on what we have in common, without bringing in religious dogmas."Mujahid is often remembered as the PAS MP who went to churches to have dialogues with Christians and even published a book about it.In Malaysia, it is rare for Muslims to go to churches to speak to Christians, especially with the “Allah" issue that is sensitive among both communities.Other than that, another matter that could now negatively affect Mujahid's efforts is the recent May 13 statement by his party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, who attacked Pakatan Rakyat ally, DAP, over its struggle to bring back local government elections.Hadi remarked last Friday that DAP's insistence on holding local council elections could cause a deeper racial divide as well as tensions, especially in Chinese-majority areas, and that PAS rejected any move that could bring about a repeat of the May 13 racial riots.He reportedly said DAP's push for local government elections was a mistake as it was only advantageous to urban residents, who were mainly non-Malays.Mujahid, who is Penang PAS deputy commissioner and Parit Buntar MP, said he was surprised with Hadi's statement because PAS had never cited the racial riots."The party has always believed May 13 to be an incident used by Umno to create tension. It did not sound like Hadi at all (to use the May 13 incident)," he said.He said he might disagree with local government elections, but he did not see the issue from a racial perspective.He would rather question how the local council polls would be implemented, what infrastructure would be needed to support the elections, and how the public might feel about it."There are many questions to address regarding this issue like whether we can first conduct a pilot project to test it out, elect just half of the councillors first just to try it out... all these require consultation."But how can someone of sound mind just reject a democratic process?" he said, adding that even mosque committees today were holding elections to choose their office-bearers. – January 28, 2015.
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