Ramadan

Social integration is about each others from different background or culture diverse working together or mixing around as one. It is easy to talk about tolerance, harmony, peaceful, understanding, interaction with each other, considerate and etc when dealing with social integration. For sustainability to work effectively, social integration is critical and unavoidable. How can a team of people working together if do not know each others and even yes, but not knowing each other well? If we do not know each others, then how can we work together? How to achieve a common mission if everyone is having their own thinking and agenda?

Thereby social integration is important. Social integration can only attain if everyone respect each others and everyone is treated equally and their own right of speaking out and action is well respected. Of course paying attention to others problems and difficulties as well as cultural differences are of help. It is rather difficult to practice it unless we bring down our own ego and pre-perception on others. For example, we might look down own people in different social class, cultural background, working environment or upbringing simply because we have not making an attempt to know them and to mix with this group of people.

In a Country like Malaysia with various cultural diverse, we should start with knowing and understanding each others' festive celebration. By knowing the origin and meaning of each festive celebration, then only we will realise how to create mutual respect.

Perhaps the month of Ramadhan, prelude to the Ail Fitri Celebration provides us an opportunity to create better understanding and hence enhancing greater social integration. While our Muslim friends will be fasting during the day time, I presume it is okay for non-Muslim to have the meal. Similarly while prayer sessions are on going, it might be good minimise the possibility of disturbance towards the proceeding. While we enjoy the multiple choice of pastry and desserts, we might wish to know the making process and its origin.

Happy Ramadan.