The “Week of Understanding of Religions and Opinions”, declared by the United Nations (UN), is celebrated each year from 1-7 February. In support of the UN’s initiatives, the Embassy of Malaysia in Finland had met with the Finnish Islamic Congregation – [FIC]; the oldest Muslim congregation in Finland.
We had the opportunity to, among other things, (i) better understand the Tatar community in Helsinki, Tampere and Järvenpää, (ii) the manner of how Islam is taught in the country and among the community, as well as (iii) how the Finnish here uphold the right to freedom of religion.
In Malaysia there is this Malay proverb ‘Tak Kenal, Maka Tak Cinta’ which in essence is ‘to know is to love’. This proverb in-line together with UN’s Week of Understanding of Religions and Opinions underlines the importance of seeking to understand others as well as respecting other people’s belief and opinions.
