COMMENT | An open letter to PAS leader Nik Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz.

Dear Nik Abduh,

I was quite disturbed by your Facebook post yesterday where you advised Muslims to raise their hands and pray to God instead of seeking help from their neighbours and community. It is truly sad that you failed to understand the importance of community in our personal well-being.

There are 7.9 billion people in this world, 4.6 billion people in Asia and 32.75 million people in Malaysia - yet somehow you have been conditioned to believe that all we need is God and nothing else.

What you have failed to understand is that God created us among different groups of people - a family unit, relatives, friends, colleagues, neighbours and communities - each one teaches us something about ourselves and our place in the world. There is a deeper wisdom to why God placed us within these relationships.

At one point in our lives, every one of us will experience pain and hardship. Seeking help when we need it and offering help when we are able to, are two ways we develop our community and build strong relationships among us. This is the reason why community is the core essence of human experience - to live as part of a community fulfils the natural component of our lives.

Nik Abduh, the world exists beyond our...