Solidariti Agama dalam Hubungan Inter-Komuniti di Sabah (Religious Solidarity in Inter-Community Relations in Sabah)

Abstract

Agama penting bagi membangun ikatan sosial dan mempunyai fungsi integratif bagi memperkukuh integrasi sosial dan membangkitkan semangat solidariti. Solidariti yang dipamerkan melalui kesungguhan sikap menolak kebencian dan menyuburkan kedamaian mampu menjamin kelangsungan hidup bersama antara pihak berbeza agama. Namun dalam usaha membina solidariti agama, ia kadangkala mencetuskan polemik apabila wujud tanggapan bahawa usaha ini cuba menyamaratakan agama atau mencampuradukkan ajaran agama. Solidariti agama bukan satu inisiatif untuk menyamaratakan atau mencairkan agama dengan mewujudkan ikatan akrab dengan pihak berbeza agama. Sebaliknya, solidariti agama menggambarkan kecenderungan untuk memilih perdamaian dan mengelakkan permusuhan kerana masyarakat saling bergantungan untuk mencapai kesepaduan sosial. Fenomena sosial ini dapat dilihat melalui cara hidup masyarakat Sabah yang tinggal di bandar mahupun di kawasan pedalaman. Kajian ini bertujuan memerihalkan solidariti agama dalam hubungan inter-komuniti di Sabah dengan mengetengahkan amalan dan contoh teladan (sharing good practices) yang dipamerkan melalui program libat sama masyarakat, keluarga campur yang berbeza agama dan hubungan sosial antara agama di pedalaman Sabah. Metode kualitatif diaplikasikan berdasarkan pengumpulan data daripada beberapa siri kajian lapangan di daerah Kota Kinabalu, Keningau, Kota Marudu, Tambunan dan Tenom. Kaedah temu bual secara bersemuka bersama informan utama daripada kalangan pemimpin agama Islam dan bukan Islam serta temu bual secara rawak bersama penduduk setempat di daerah terpilih bagi menjelaskan hubungan interkomuniti antara pihak berbeza agama di Sabah. Kaedah pemerhatian ikut-serta di lapangan turut digunakan bagi menjelaskan aktiviti libat sama masyarakat dalam program forum, dialog dan lawatan ke rumah-rumah ibadah. Kesemua data yang diperoleh diolah dalam bentuk analisis tematik bagi menghuraikan fungsi agama sebagai pengukuh integrasi sosial dan pencetus semangat solidariti yang diperlihatkan melalui sikap kebersamaan antara pihak berbeza agama. Melalui sikap sebeginilah, masyarakat Sabah sering dilabel sebagai toleran dan mempunyai ketahanan diri yang tinggi dalam menghadapi cabaran hubungan antara agama. Kajian ini merumuskan solidariti agama perlu disuburkan bagi menjamin kelangsungan keharmonian hidup bersama masyarakat Malaysia.

Kata kunci: Solidariti agama;kesepaduan sosial; hubungan inter-komuniti; Sabah; libat sama masyarakat

Abstract

Religion plays an essential role in forming social relationships and serves as an integrative function in strengthening social integration and the evocation of solidarity. Solidarity displayed through the determination of rejecting hatred and fostering peace can ensure coexistence between parties of different religions. Yet, building religious solidarity sometimes triggers polemics when there is a perception that this effort is trying to promote religious syncretism and dilute the spiritual teaching. Religious solidarity is not an initiative to equalize or weaken religion by creating close bonds with different religious parties. On the other hand, religious solidarity reflects the tendency to choose peace and avoid enmity because societies are interdependent to achieve social cohesion. This social phenomenon visualized the lifestyles of the people in Sabah who live in urban or rural areas. This study aims to describe religious solidarity in inter-community relations in Sabah by highlighting the practices and examples (sharing good practices) exhibited through community engagement programs, mixed families of different religions, and social ties between religions in the interior of Sabah. Qualitative methods are applied based on data collection from a series of fieldwork in the districts of Kota Kinabalu, Keningau, Kota Marudu, Tambunan, and Tenom. Face-to-face interviews with key informants from Muslim and non-Muslim religious leaders and random interviews with residents in selected districts to explain the inter-community relationship between different religions in Sabah. The participatory field observation explained the community engagement activities in forums, dialogue, and visit houses of worship. All data obtained were analyzed in the form of thematic analysis to describe the function of religion as a reinforcer of social integration and a trigger for the spirit of solidarity shown through the attitude of togetherness between different religions adherents. With the said attitude, Sabahans are often labeled as tolerant and resilient in the face of inter-religious issues due to their mindset. This study concludes that religious solidarity nurtured harmony in Malaysian society.

Keywords: Religious solidarity; social cohesion; inter-community relation; Sabah; community engagement