New Muslims Community Conference 2026 explores path to healing Malaysia's racial divide

KUALA LUMPUR – A national unity forum has called on Malaysians to move beyond simply avoiding conflict between communities and instead build genuine trust, warning that ties will remain fragile as long as most people continue to engage only with those who look, think and live like themselves.

The New Muslims Community Conference 2026, themed "Bridging Two Worlds, Healing One Nation," brought together speakers from the media, business, civil society and Muslim revert communities to explore whether Malaysia could shift from managing racial tensions to fostering real belonging among its people.

Held here recently, the conference featured four panel discussions: how online fear is manufactured and spread, how poverty and wealth have become tangled with racial stereotypes, how housing patterns have quietly segregated communities, and what it means to navigate multiple racial, cultural and religious identities at once.

The first panel, "The Digital Battlefield," examined how race and religion are mobilised online, where minor incidents can escalate into national controversies and outrage often outpaces understanding.

The second, "What's Your 'Type'?," looked at how poverty and wealth have become racially coded, shaping perceptions around hiring, credit, contracts and business trust.

The third, "The Neighbourhood Without Neighbours," addressed the quiet separation within residential communities, where Malaysians increasingly live among people of similar backgrounds.

The fourth, "Living Between Two Worlds," centred on Muslim reverts and their experience of embracing Islam while continuing to navigate family, culture and identity.

A short discussion, "Leaders' Role in Bridging Malaysia's Racial Divide," moderated by Sinar Daily Editor Tasnim Lokman and featuring former diplomat Neow Choo Seong, focused specifically on leadership's role in addressing division.

Beyond the main stage, booths were set up for participating organisations and communities to engage directly with visitors.

Speakers repeatedly returned to the idea that reverts occupy a distinctive position in rebuilding trust, having lived on both sides of the religious divide.

Al-Khaadem founder and president Datuk Dr Sheikh Hussain Yee said reverts carry a responsibility to model coexistence.

"That is our responsibility today: to remind everyone that we should live together in peace and harmony. Who can carry this message? As reverts, we have an important role to play," he told Sinar Daily.

He said many Muslim reverts had experienced life as both a minority and later, as part of the Muslim majority — a journey that shaped how they understood Islamic values.

"Through that journey, we learned about Islam and Islamic values. These are not traditional values or simply Malay values; Islamic values are universal," he said.

He added that reverts should not be seen as representing any single community, but as a unifying voice.

"We are not here to criticise anyone or fight for the rights of one particular group. We are here to unite everyone and represent everyone," he said, calling on authorities to recognise the potential contribution of reverts to nation-building.

Multiracial Reverted Muslims founder and president Firdaus Wong said the conference's value lay in giving Malaysians room to raise difficult issues they might otherwise avoid.

He said it provides an opportunity for people from all sides to come together, have discussions, get to know one another and clear up misconceptions and misunderstandings.

He added that disagreement should not shut down conversation, especially on matters like politics that affect all Malaysians.

"We may not always agree with someone, but at least we can understand where they are coming from," he said.

Wong rejected the notion that political discussion belongs only to certain professionals. He said just because someone is an accountant does not mean they cannot have an in-depth understanding of politics as politics is very dynamic, and everybody can talk about it.

For Firdaus, unity ultimately depends on rules applied equally to everyone.

"The law should apply to everyone. It should not be applied to one party but not another.

"When everyone follows the same Constitution and the same laws and abides by them, InsyaAllah, we can achieve peace and harmony," he said.

The conference was designed to confront the forces pulling Malaysians apart — political messaging that rewards fear, economic hardship redirected into racial resentment and a digital environment capable of turning a minor incident into a national crisis within hours.

Rather than singling out any political party or community, the discussions focused on the wider mechanisms of division: who creates divisive narratives, who amplifies them and who benefits.

Among those who were present at the event were Yayasan Warisan Ummah Ikhlas founder Datuk Hussamuddin Yaacub, TV host and motivational speaker Amin Idris, Free Malaysia Today executive chairman Datuk Nelson Fernandez, broadcast journalist Sheahnee Lee as well as Islamic Propagation Society International founder and president Datuk Kamarudin Abdullah, among others