The middle way or path understood in the moral sense is the true answer to extremism. Its very definition implies the truth of this statement. Let the middle way prevail and extremism would have no sanctuary.
After all what is the middle way if not the civilisational path of consciously leading a life that seeks avoidance of extremes on the weighing scale of human conduct.
For short, I call this civilisational path "middleness." This term is a synonym of moderation and golden mean.
In attempting to uproot extremism in society, it is to the philosophy and tradition of middleness that humanity should turn to. But, it is a monumental task to revive this philosophy and tradition in contemporary human societies and make it central to their way of life and future social undertakings.
This is because for too long now human development and progress has taken the path of moral and material excesses and overconsumption that have deviated further and further away from the path of middleness. Such a path of excessiveness may be viewed as one form of civilisational extremism.
The only real alternative to this path is civilisational middleness, a position that Islam seeks to emphasise through the Quranic concept of "ummatan wasatan", literally meaning the middle community. The pursuit of middleness is both individual and collective. Moral philosophers argue that its pursuit at both levels would reinforce each other.
The more there are individuals with the moral trait of middleness, the stronger will be the tendency of society to commit itself to the cause of middleness values.
Conversely, through public education under an enlightened political leadership that is committed to the philosophy of middleness, the individual citizens would be better intellectually prepared to embrace this philosophy.
Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, is known for his unwavering commitment to this philosophy. He and his unity government should put this philosophy into practice, the success of which is crucial to the realisation of the objectives of Malaysia Madani itself.
Middleness is the fruit of a constant determination and struggle to secure a moral middle ground that would best guarantee us a balanced and fuller life, peace and hence happiness.
In Islamic terminology this struggle is jihad in the true sense of the word as the Quran and the Prophet have taught. It is an inner jihad against the excesses and evil tendencies of the soul.
It is also an external jihad against injustices in society. Unfortunately, the idea of jihad could lend itself to exploitation by extremist groups that would hurt Islam itself.
If middleness is antidote to extremism, then it only makes sense that we galvanise our national efforts to popularise its philosophy and empower the institutions that are needed for its healthy growth and its flowering into a proud Malaysian way of life.
This is not just wishful thinking. On the contrary, the quest for middleness in our national and civilisational life is one that is based on sound knowledge. I am arguing that middleness is the pride of Malaysia. It is Malaysia's common spiritual heritage. Thus, it could be its incredible source of strength.
If the core teaching of every religion is middleness, which is in fact true, then you can imagine the kind of spiritual and intellectual resources that Malaysia would have at its disposal for nation and civilisation building. This is because all the major religions of the world, not to mention several smaller ones, are found in Malaysia.
Although the doctrine of middleness is common to all religions, it is known under a different name in each of them. In Islam, it is called wasatiyyah, in Christianity the golden rule, which is based on the Biblical doctrine "Do to others whatever you would have them do to you."
In Confucianism, middleness is chung yung, in Buddhism madhyamapratipada (Sanskrit) or majjhimapatipada (Pali). In Hinduism, the middle way may be identified especially with karma-yoga.
To be noted as well, the content of middleness is not the same in all these religions. There are differences between them in the understanding of the doctrine and in the approaches to its practical realisation. Differences exist, because of the different historical origins of these religions in time and space and their different identities.
These differences notwithstanding, there is a common ground on middleness between these religions, which may serve as a basis for Malaysia's interreligious and intercultural dialogue. Islam may take the lead in conducting this dialogue.
The Quran itself says: "Come to dialogue on what is common between you and us" (3:64). The dialogue will empower Malaysia's middleness.
* The writer is emeritus professor and Al-Ghazali Chair of Epistemology and Civilizational Studies and Renewal at ISTAC-IIUM