German-Muslim scholar calls for greater individual rights in freedom of religion

The practice of one’s religion should not be something that is controlled by the state and religious institutions, according to a Muslim academic from Germany.

Prof Dr Harry Harun Behr, a representative of the German Islamic Conference, said that a person should have the rights to practice his or her individual beliefs without being discriminated upon for being different.

“I think that today, religious identities and communities are constructed like tribes. For example, to be a Muslim is to be part of a certain social group who defines themselves as Muslim,” Harun said at a talk to promote of freedom of religions and belief in the ASEAN in Kuala Lumpur, recently.

Harun was one of the civil society and religious leaders involved in a dialogue jointly-organised by the Global Movement of Moderates Foundation (GMMF) and Association for the Promotion of Human Right (Proham).

Harun, who is also a professor of Islam and Education at University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, said that discrimination has been apparent as far back as 30 years ago.

He related a scenario which took place in a neighbouring country where a student was unceremoniously expelled from school because she wore the 'hijab' to school.

Harun, who was a student at a university then, protested to this uncouth action taken upon the pupil on the basis of encroaching on her religion freedom.

Today, the scenario has changed. Harun said that a majority of students from the same country are hijab wearers now and if a girl is prosecuted for not wearing the hijab, it can be questioned as it is viewed as denying one’s right to freedom of religion.

In this contemporary setting, he noted, there has been a rise of attentiveness towards religion in the modern society, particularly in secular states.

While such heightened awareness may bring about positive effects on the personal religious identity, the downside is that it inevitably leads to religious authoritative dictating how one practices his or her religion.

He noted that religious institutions of late have been trying to convey a system of ‘exclusiveness’.

“This may encourage religious communities to develop their particular political agenda as social pressure groups,” the scholar explained.

Meanwhile, Harun also weighed in on the current Malaysian religious situation, agreeing that there has been an increased tension between religious groups of late.

He urged Malaysians to take the opportunity to enhance dialogue towards gaining better understanding of each others’ religion.

“It is good that you are talking about it but if you can take advantage of this discourse - Malaysia is in a good position while other countries will still have to go through it.”

“If you manage to bring everybody at the table and conduct a clear discussion about what Malaysia wants to be, Malaysia will be the best among the ASEAN states.”