ABSTRACT
When it comes to thinking and practising pluralism in Southeast Asia, the
native Muslim population is, comparatively speaking, as much challenged
as are those Muslims migrating to Europe, now creating a great and growing
segment of the population. The issue is to find ways for living in peace and
harmony on the basis of equality with communities of other faiths.1 There
are Muslims who refuse to acknowledge this challenge, by stating that
Islam has always been able to live with others in peace and harmony. They
stop short of mentioning equality. Islamic Spain (al-Andalus) and southeast Europe under Ottoman Islamic rule are often referred to as supporting
examples for this Islamic claim for pluralism. These cases are, however, by
modern standards to be rejected as a model for Asia. It is for the sake of
peace and interfaith harmony that one needs to address this issue in a plain
language beyond political correctness. The Islamic doctrine of the dhimmi
(protected communities subjected to Islamic rule – given exclusively to
Christians and Jews) runs counter to a true pluralism. The coexistence of
Muslims with people of other faiths in al-Andalus and in Ottoman south-east Europe took place under the rule of Islam and of its claim for supremacy
(Siyadat al-Islam). Today this is no longer acceptable.
