Malaysia’s Muslim diaspora

By JUHAIDI YEAN ABDULLAH

TODAY, we are seeing a Muslim diaspora. In North America and Europe, there are Muslims who have fled their homelands. Many among them are good Muslims and very talented people, but they can never hope to make the land of their adoption a Muslim country. As with many recent cases, we know that these people will always feel alienated from the majority, who would be against them in many ways. Muslims have been subjected to all sorts of discrimination, embarrassment and indignation in the West.

But to be sure, many of them have done well in their adopted lands. They are working in  large corporations, research institutions, universities and in business. Some of them live quite comfortably. They have contributed to the wealth and skills of the land they have settled in. But by the same token, they have deprived of their own homeland, their Muslim homeland of their talents and skills.

This is the such a pity because their homelands need them more than their land of adoption. Problem is that if they stay back they will not have the opportunity to make use of their talents and skills that they have. Their work and sacrifices might not even be appreciated in their own countries, for some reason or other. Many are persona non grata in their own countries. This is a sad scenario for the future of Muslims.

Other Islamic countries should take a leaf from Malaysia’s approach. Though not experiencing the sort or degree of brain drain as in some other Islamic countries, Malaysia has taken a practical approach to attract its talented people back to the country. The process may take time but progress has been made in the past two decased or so. For this to continue, at least three factors are vital. First of all, the government must ensure peace and stability in the country. Secondly, it has to establish a good and effective administration, able to implement policies and development carefully planned for people of all races. And thirdly, it has to provide a conducive environment and set up the necessary infrastructure and logistical support to enable development to take place as a faster rate.

The idea, says Perdana Leadership Foundation chairman, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, is to have Muslims who are well educated in all fields of arts, science and technology, without forgetting their knowledge and the practice of Islam.

“We want them to be spiritually ready to face the challenges of a hostile world. We want them not to succumb to emotion but to plan and strategise when faced with challenges. We want them to be brave when facing their enemies and to plan to overcome the dangers in order to gain victory. We do not want them to throw themselves blindly against the enemy because they want to become matyrs to the cause of Islam.

“If we can build up a rational Muslim nation, skilled in administration, in the sciences and technologies, in trade and industry, politically, socially and religiously stable, learned in all fields – then we can advance the true cause of Islam. This is what the Muslims which lead the Malaysian government today believe in. We want, in a small way, to show Muslims and Muslim countries the path to a Muslim rennaissance, a Muslim resurrection. We had hoped that our little success would be acknowledged and recognised and used as a model.” (Islam and The Muslim Ummah, Pelanduk Publications, Kuala Lumpur, 2000, pg. 43)

In Malaysia, we have achieved some measure of success. Today, there are an estimated 200,000 Malaysians living abroad, over half of them students. Malaysians living in the country and abroad have contributed to the country’s growth in the past 50 years. Those educated and trained locally as well as those returning to Malaysia after years of education and working in foreign countries have helped chart the course of the country’s direction and achievements.

They have worked towards the drafting and implementation of manu economic plans since Merdeka in the effort to improve the quality of life of the ummah. These plans have adopted development strategies that placed great emphasis on poverty eradication, human resource development as well as improving housing, health and the environment. They also give emphasis on the development of women and youths of this country. Policies and strategies that were outlined and implemented through the 5-year development plans since the 1960s have brought about remarkable socio-economic progress.

The contribution of Malaysians living abroad to Malaysia’s progress is not only by working directly with the government. Many have also joined the private sector and NGOs which have also played significant roles in nation building. As a result, Malaysia’s success are there for all to see. We have achieved most of the targets of the United nation’s Millennium Development Goals in terms of poverty eradication, universal primary education, gender equality, reduction in child mortality and improvement in maternal mortality. The latest Malaysian Quality of Life Report shows that every state in Malaysia has recorded significant growth in the Quality of Life Index. Significant growth has been achieved in five major components, namely income and distribution, transportation and telecommunications, health, education and public amenities.