I FOUND myself wandering the concentration camps at Auschwitz towards the end of Ramadan. The solemnity of the visit was compounded by the absence of the accoutrements that I associate with Raya preparations: the sounds of prayer and laughter, the whiff of rendang, the sight of children excited by their new clothes, and no doubt by the thought of all duit Raya to collected.
Not all children are as fortunate though. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health and United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, hundreds of children have been killed and more than a thousand have been injured by Israeli’s military campaign against Gaza. The bombing, ostensibly targeting Hamas, has claimed far more civilian lives than combatants’.
As a doctor, it is galling to know that even the sanctuary of hospitals has been defiled, with patients and medical staff paying the ultimate price with their lives. Many feel depressed and helpless as we are fed a daily diet of horrifying images on social media and deplorable scenes on television. I consider myself to be rather stoical even at the most stressful of times, but my eyes filled with tears when I watched four children murdered while playing on a beach in Gaza. In another life, one of those children could have easily been mine.
These acts have brought home to me the capacity of mankind for cruelty, and more dangerously, his capacity to justify such acts. Auschwitz is one such manifestation. It was initially used as a prison for Jews, Roma, political prisoners and other deviants that were deemed inferior by the Nazis. From 1942, Jews were forcibly removed from their homes throughout Europe and brought to this camp.
Over a million men, women and children were brought in overcrowded wagons to face a horrific death by lethal injection or in gas chambers. Those put to slave labour mostly died from starvation or disease.
Some had their photographs taken during registration: the haunted expressions of those resigned to their fate or in the case of children, holding back tears with eyes filled with fear, are not something that I would forget anytime soon.
The plight the Jews went through is a terrible blight in human history. It is distressing to hear some quarters say that “Hitler should have finished the job” when discussing events in Israel, ignoring basic human compassion and forgetting that Judaism and Zionism are not the same thing.
Although Israel attempts to justify its cruelty, it is important to remember that such inhumanity is not exclusive to any one ethnic or religious group, but rather a profoundly disquieting aspect of human nature that has been present since antiquity.
Muslims were murdered by “Christians” in Bosnia, Christians by “Muslims” in Nigeria, “Buddhists” are killing Muslims in Myanmar and, lest it be forgotten, Muslim children are being killed in Syria by its “Islamic” government. All are victims of geopolitical and economic interests that masquerade under the banners of religion.
If I seem despondent, it is because I am. Santayana was too optimistic. Even those who do remember the past are likely to repeat it. But while I despair for what humans have done, I am grateful for the peace that we have in Malaysia and even more hopeful for what we can achieve in the future.
As governments in the West and Middle East fail to live up to moral expectations, we see individuals take the lead by creating more awareness and organising campaigns such as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. The exertion of economic and political pressure is important, with support from the likes of Stephen Hawking to Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global (the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund) boycotting companies involved in constructing illegal settlements in East Jerusalem.
As we look upon the Middle East from the safety of our shores, we must remember to not take our harmony for granted. History has taught us that when times are tough, groups with vested interests will attempt to cultivate an us versus them mentality. The lack of economic opportunities is sometimes used as an excuse to target minorities without a strong political voice such as the poor, immigrants, the homeless or those with a different skin colour.
A dash of individual charisma and a mix of populism are sometimes all it takes to push simmering malcontent into an overflow of hatred and cruelty.
It is up to us as individuals to voice our support for measures that strengthen national unity. We must always remember to look at the individual, and not judge an entire race.
We should also be wary of the dangers of political apathy especially when dealing with individuals or organisations who seek to drive a wedge between Malaysia’s ethnic communities or those who seek to appease us with non-sustainable economic policies.
As we enter the month of Syawal, my spirits are lifted by the sight of friends of all races coming together to celebrate Hari Raya and the holidays. As a nation, we should look beyond just opening our houses for the festivities, but more importantly, opening up our hearts and minds to be the voices that society needs.
This country of ours is precious and it is our responsibility to maintain that peace.
The future, after all, is what we make of it.