ISLAM DAN SIKAP AKOMODATIF ORANG MELAYU: TUNJANG KEHARMONIAN DALAM KEPELBAGAIAN MASYARAKAT MALAYSIA

(Islam and the Accommodative Attitude of the Malays: A Foundation for Harmony in Malaysia’s Diverse Society)

Abstract

ABSTRAK

Islam di Malaysia diangkat sebagai agama rasmi Persekutuan di bawah perkara 3 (1) Perlembagaan, namun penganut agama lain tetap bebas untuk mengamalkan kepercayaan masing-masing dalam suasana aman. Majoriti penganut agama Islam adalah orang Melayu yang sedia hidup bersama kaum lain daripada latar belakang berbeza secara harmoni. Keharmonian di Malaysia bukan wujud secara vakum, sebaliknya Islam menjadi faktor dominan yang mencorakkan 'sikap akomodatif orang Melayu' terhadap kepelbagaian etnik serta agama. Namun, konsep 'sikap akomodatif Melayu' lazimnya digunakan secara longgar dan kadang kala disamaratakan dengan istilah toleransi, kompromi atau pluralisme sekular. Malah sering disalahertikan sebagai toleransi pasif di tengah-tengah kegelisahan golongan minoriti terhadap tekanan kontemporari dalam era digitalisasi. Meskipun wacana perpaduan sering dibincangkan secara normatif, terdapat jurang analitis dalam mengadun mekanisme integratif secara hierarki yang merangkumi dimensi sejarah peradaban, perundangan, teologi dan sosiobudaya secara serentak. Artikel ini bertujuan mengkonseptualisasikan sikap akomodatif orang Melayu melalui analisis empat dimensi; sejarah peradaban Melayu, Perlembagaan Persekutuan, pendekatan nilai Islam dan sosiobudaya Melayu. Kaedah kualitatif berasaskan analisis kandungan digunakan terhadap sumber sekunder daripada jurnal akademik, prosiding, buku, tesis dan dokumen dasar kerajaan. Dapatan menunjukkan bahawa keharmonian di Malaysia dipacu oleh integrasi dinamik empat mekanisme utama: (i) Akar sejarah peradaban Melayu yang terbuka; (ii) Prinsip keadilan Islam melalui kerangka perlembagaan; (iii) pendekatan nilai universal Islam berasaskan model Piagam Madinah; serta (iv) manifestasi etika harian melalui penerapan nilai-nilai Islam dalam sosiobudaya Melayu. Integrasi keempat-empat mekanisme ini membuktikan bahawa keharmonian di Malaysia bukanlah sebuah "kebetulan sejarah" atau retorik politik semata-mata tetapi merupakan hasil daripada pengaruh dominan Islam yang membentuk orientasi sosial orang Melayu menjadi komuniti yang terbuka, adil dan akomodatif, sekali gus tunjang kepada kestabilan dan keharmonian nasional dalam kepelbagaian etnik di Malaysia.

ABSTRACT

In Malaysia, Islam is enshrined as the religion of the Federation under Article 3(1) of the Federal Constitution, yet adherents of other faiths remain free to practice their respective religions in a peaceful environment. The majority of Muslims are Malays who have long coexisted harmoniously with other ethnic groups from diverse backgrounds. This national harmony does not exist in a vacuum; rather, Islam serves as the dominant factor that shapes the 'accommodative attitude of the Malays' toward ethnic and religious plurality. However, the concept of 'Malay accommodative attitude' is often used loosely and is occasionally equated with terms such as tolerance, compromise, or secular pluralism. Furthermore, it is frequently misinterpreted as passive tolerance amidst minority anxieties regarding contemporary pressures in the digital era. Although discourse on unity is often discussed normatively, there remains an analytical gap in synthesizing hierarchical integrative mechanisms that simultaneously encompass the dimensions of civilizational history, legislation, theology, and socio-culture. This article aims to conceptualize the accommodative attitude of the Malays through a four-dimensional analytical framework: Malay civilizational history, the Federal Constitution, Islamic value approaches, and Malay socio-culture. A qualitative method based on content analysis was employed, utilizing secondary sources such as academic journals, proceedings, books, theses, and government policy documents. Findings indicate that harmony in Malaysia is driven by the dynamic integration of four primary mechanisms: (i) the open roots of Malay civilizational history; (ii) the principles of Islamic justice within the constitutional framework; (iii) a universal Islamic value approach based on the Medina Charter model; and (iv) the manifestation of daily ethics through the application of Islamic values within Malay socio-culture. The integration of these four mechanisms proves that harmony in Malaysia is neither a "historical accident" nor mere political rhetoric; instead, it is the result of dominant Islamic influence that shapes the social orientation of the Malays into an open, just, and accommodative community, thereby serving as the backbone of national stability and harmony within Malaysia's ethnic diversity.