MUSLIMS were last night told to help make the world a better place to live in for all.

Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud said the role of Muslims is not just to play a small part in spreading their religion.

They should also think about how to play a role in transforming the economic and scientific renaissance of Asia, he said.

“You have to equally apply the teachings of Islam to your country and world so that you will be one step forward in making the life of mankind a better one,” he said at the Chinese New Year dinner of the Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association (Macma), Sarawak branch in Kuching.

Taib recalled that in the early days of Islam, Muslims travelled all over the world to learn the culture and civilisation of others including China.

He said they realised that China – a non-Muslim country at that time – was one of the most advanced civilisations besides the Roman and Persian empires, and so they absorbed Chinese culture and knowledge as they were liberal in acquiring new things.

“One of the things that Islam contributed was spreading the Chinese paper-making technology around the world.

“This turned Samarakhan (an area near Uzbekistan) into a centre of paper manufacturing, which also saw the emergence of many scholars,” he said, adding that the greatest preservers of the Hadith were from Samarakhan.

Besides, Muslims also translated many great works of Greek philosophers like Socrates and Plato to enrich their knowledge of the world, he said.

Taib said Muslims never came to the world to dictate to others.

Rather, they accepted the world as it was – consisting of many religions, civilisations, the ups and downs of civilisations. With that in mind, he said, Muslims in those days tried to inspire and make the world a better place for posterity.

“Islam never assumes an intrusive way that only one religion can bring success,” he said. Regarding the Chinese New Year, he said it was very heart-warming to see the celebration bringing people of many faiths to enjoy themselves together.

Such a peaceful and harmonious living in a multi-racial society would make the learning process smoother, he added. Meanwhile, chairman of Macma Sarawak, Mortadha Lau Abdullah, called on his members to have faith in the government to tackle problems arising from the global economic slowdown.

He noted that many countries had been affected by the crisis but he remained hopeful that Malaysia would be able to cope with difficult times.

“We must always be confident in the government besides maintaining a positive attitude while the economy is unstable. “Fortunately, Malaysia is still well while some Asian countries are suffering.

Lau was also pleased that Malaysians had celebrated this year’s Lunar New Year in a “warm, friendly and joyous” atmosphere in spite of the unsound economy.

Organising chairman Mohd Tony Ong Abdullah also spoke earlier while among those present were Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Human Resource and Training) Datin Fatimah Abdullah, Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Information Technology) Bolhassan Di and Federation of Kuching and Samarahan Divisions Chinese Associations president Dr Chou Chii Ming.