Dissent is part of justice
Salbiah Ahmad
Islah (reform) as sulh signifies peaceful action which leads to reconciliation and accord. Sulh is sometimes rendered as consensus, a democratic precept by any other name.
If we are guided by sulh in all the critical questions that affect our Malaysian society, then we should be prepared to listen to the multiplicity of voices of our entire population. The more important consideration of sulh to my mind is the assurance that the negotiation process or debate is fair, open and fully inclusive of all segments of the population.
Abdulaziz Sachedina in his spiritually-affirming thesis The Islamic Roots of Democratic Pluralism, (2001) proposes that Muslims identify with the growth of a religious consciousness that points beyond particular religious traditions to embrace pluralism. (more…)
