The pilgrim-in-dialogue in Malaysia

Iriter-group exclusions and animosity are frequently framed as conflicts arising from cultural and particularly religious difference. These conflicts can lead to exhortations from political elites and those in religious authority to shun interaction with others who are different. In Malaysia there are numerous examples of this that range from the apparently trivial to the significant. This article focuses on the Malaysian context and seeks to describe how the writings of two individuals from the region have sought to facilitate inter-religious exchange and acceptance through their writing which draws on their religious traditions that, in the Malaysian context, are often framed as in conflict. I begin by describing two issues that have engendered inter-religious conflict and disharmony in Malaysia. The first of these is related to a Malay translation of the , Bible and the second to the ability of Malaysians to convert officially from Islam to another religion. The description of these issues demonstrates the need for religiously framed discursive tools that encourage positive inter-religious interaction. I then turn to an examination of the work of John Prior, a long-time resident priest in Indonesia, and Jahaberdeen Mohd Yunoos, a Malaysian Muslim writer. Of particular interest to me are their renderings of the ideas of the 'pilgrim-in-dialogue' by Prior, and the 'Rapera' by Jahaberdeen. By bringing these two writers into conversation, as it were, I explore paths towards exchange and interaction emanating from those traditions that are ostensibly at odds.