NATIONAL IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION IN MALAYSIA BASED ON AL-SHAHRASTANI'S PROPOSITION OF TOLERANCE IN AL-MILAL WA AL-NIHAL (original) (raw)
The general framework of national identity embraces the acknowledgment and identification of ethnic, sectarian, and religious identities. The struggle to understand national identity due to its complexities, most of the time was generated by the socio-political condition. Malaysia, in particular, experiences countless socio-political provocations involving every interrelated difference embodied within the societal fragments. In this context, this study argues that the construction of national identity should be based on universal values that are worth for all people. In line with this argumentation, this study attempts to elaborate the extend of tolerance according to Al-Shahrastānī's proposition implicitly expressed in al-Milal wa al-Nihal in complementing the national identity construction as a practical mechanism without jeopardizing societal ethnicity, nationality, and religiosity. This paper used the qualitative approach which included extensive reviews on literatures and observations. The finding shows that Al-Shahrastānī's propositional attitude towards diversity is objective yet still managed to maintain his identity without unnecessary intimidation and provocations which proving the relevant of its undertaking in Malaysia's context.
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