Meet Abdul Rahman Kasim, the man behind the Muslim-Christian ‘cake’ diplomacy
Why should the likes of Ibrahim Ali, Hasan Ali and Harussani Zakaria hog the headlines? If you are tired of reading about their preposterous statements, meet bridge-builder Abdul Rahman Kasim, who has been working hard to improve ties between Muslims and Christians in the country.
Anil Netto
You may have read about Tok Guru Nik Aziz handing over a cake to Bishop Sebastian Francis during their recent Penang meeting, which was held at 6.30pm. Nik Aziz was only told by his aides at 4.00pm that day that the meeting had been confirmed. So where did they find a mouth-watering cake at such short notice with words inscribed at such short notice.
Enter Abdul Rahman Kasim, the Mr Fix-it with a booming voice and an equally hearty laugh, who has been instrumental in setting up appointments for talks and dialogues between Pas and churches in the northern region.
After all, what do you give a Bishop as a momento during such a meeting to help sweeten ties? It was Abdul Rahman who had ordered the cakes even before the meeting – and an earlier one for a previous meeting between Mujahid Yusof Rawa with the bishop – well before the meetings at taken place. Indeed, it was Abdul Rahman who sent out the initial feelers to set up the meeting between Tok Guru and Bishop Sebastian.
Tok Guru presents Bishop Sebastian with a mouth-watering cake: Where did the cake come from?
The Langkawi-born Rahman is the Tasik Gelugor Pas information chief and the point-man in sending out feelers to Catholic churches in the northern region. He is a familiar face whenever the Pas head of inter-religious dialogue, Mujahid Yusof Rawa or Dzulkefly Ahmad, conducts these dialogue sessions with parishioners of churches.
Rahman, 56, worked for a decade at the Royal Malaysian Air Force base in Butterworth before turning to business as a chicken seller in a local market – an honest living if there was one – for the past two decades.
Today, he is trying to sell the idea of Muslims and Christians talking to one another. “I feel compelled to do so, because during my parents’ generation we had much better ties. I am experienced that growing up. But today, we are more polarised and I am doing my part to promote closer ties among people of different faiths.”
Abdul Rahman (far left) at the recent Tok Guru-Bishop Sebastian meeting
But why is he focusing on the churches? Abdul Rahman is clear about the reason: “We have so much in common especially a shared Abrahamic tradition; so it is a good place to start.”
