KUALA LUMPUR, 22 June 2025 – “Diversity is not a burden, but a great opportunity for da’wah,” asserted Dato’ Haji Ahmad Azam Ab Rahman, President of Wadah Pencerdasan Umat Malaysia (WADAH), during the Madani Southeast Asian Leadership Programme (MSEALP) 2025, broadcast exclusively on TV AlHijrah this Sunday morning.
MSEALP 2025 is a WADAH initiative designed to drive synergy and collective wisdom among regional Islamic organisations in pursuit of ASEAN Community Vision 2045—a bold agenda to unify ASEAN societies under a framework that is inclusive, sustainable, and rooted in MADANI values.
According to Dato’ Ahmad Azam, the year 2025 marks the ASEAN Year, during which Malaysia holds the chairmanship, coinciding with the 58th anniversary of ASEAN’s founding in 1967. Given ASEAN’s diverse demographic—comprising approximately 40% Muslims, 20% Buddhists, 17% Christians, and the rest Hindus and others—Malaysia is seen as possessing valuable experience in fostering interfaith and interethnic harmony.
“ASEAN reflects Malaysia. Our success in building unity here must be showcased as a model,” he stated.
This programme marks an early milestone for 34 Islamic NGOs from 10 ASEAN nations to come together, strategise, and plan concrete steps toward uniting the ASEAN Community’s vision over the next two decades. MSEALP 2025 is also set to be officiated by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, with over 500 national NGO leaders and 50 international ASEAN delegates expected to attend.
“We’re starting with Islamic NGOs to build solidarity. Once it’s strong, we can open dialogue with non-Islamic NGOs,” he added.
He also highlighted that ASEAN’s agenda has traditionally been dominated by government-to-government interactions—foreign ministers, senior officials, and heads of state—while the role of grassroots communities has often been overlooked. In this context, Islamic NGOs, da’wah bodies, and civil society organisations play a vital role in bridging the people and government.
During the session, he outlined several key challenges to realising this vision. Among them is the rise of right-wing political movements in the West, which fuel hatred based on religion and ethnicity, as well as the rigid nation-state mindset that hinders aspirations for a regional community.
“We must dissolve narrow boundaries like ‘you are Filipino’, ‘you are Indonesian’. We are ASEAN, one community. Diversity is a blessing,” he affirmed.
He emphasised that Islamic NGOs hold a unique strength in dissolving cultural and national barriers because Islam inherently calls for mutual understanding (ta’aruf) and being a mercy to all creation, as stated in Surah Al-Hujurat verse 13 and the verse: “We sent you not, [O Muhammad], but as a mercy to the worlds.”
Concluding his message, Dato’ Ahmad Azam urged Malaysians to view domestic diversity as a strategic strength to amplify Malaysia’s influence regionally and globally. He stressed that da’wah is not limited to one faith or ethnicity; instead, Islam must be seen as a universal and inclusive mercy.
“If Islam is only for one race, how can it spread? We must turn diversity into an opportunity for da’wah and unity,” he asserted.
MSEALP 2025 is more than a conventional programme. It is a strategic platform for shaping a peaceful, progressive, and united ASEAN through grassroots strength. The initiative reinforces the role of Islamic NGOs in realising people-powered regional synergy, in line with the Malaysia MADANI vision and the slogan:
“Unite the Ummah, Build the ASEAN Community.”
The video can be watched here.