Al-Faruqi’s Concept of Tawḥīd and Its Relevance to Madani’s Idea in Addressing the Issue of Racism in Malaysia
Keywords:
Tawḥīd, Racism, Ethnicity, Madani, Nation Building.Abstract
Religious diversity is frequently a barrier to interreligious relations. This is due to the fact that religious diversity usually leads to disputes and conflicts. As a result, many scholars offered proper approach to managing this diversity. Robert N. Bellah is popularly known with his idea of Civil Religion. This study aims to explain the concept of Civil Religion as proposed by Bellah then analyzing the implementation of his ideas for managing religious diversity. This study employs qualitative methodology through library research to collect the data. Thus, the data is analyzed by adopting descriptive and critical analysis methods. The findings revealed that Civil Religion in Bellah's view is a set of religious beliefs that are the basis and foundation for the identity and self-understanding of the United States as a nation and people. Second, Civil Religion places religion and belief under the state constitution in managing religious diversity. Third, Civil Religion is part of the understanding of religious pluralism, and even though it is a new religion, it has become the main reference for all human behavior.
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