#BeliaForUnity

Background:

Narratives based on hate, prejudice and stereotypes in the Malaysian society stem from the lack of meaningful interracial and interreligious dialogues and engagements with one another. The mainstream media normally highlight these types of negative narratives although they do not reflect the life realities on the ground. As a result, some people are susceptible to not only hateful narratives but also discriminatory actions against other racial or religious groups.

Thus, Komuniti Muslim Universal or KMU Malaysia, a youth-led non profit organisation, and Universiti Malaya embarked on a collaborative project called #BeliaForUnity to produce a series of short stories collected from students of ethnic relations based on their personal experiences. The purpose of this project is to showcase the existence of positive and real-life narratives of the Malaysian youth. Besides that, the publication of these stories will be made bilingual in English and Bahasa Malaysia, posted on Wattpad and KMU social media pages.

Positive narratives are often overshadowed by sensationalised and controversial ones. Therefore, these series of short stories aim to highlight humanity, tolerance and kindness among the Malaysian society to counter religious hatred and racism. Most importantly, Malaysians should be able to appreciate the common humanity and learn to practice inclusive values in real life.

Objectives:

- To proliferate positive narratives on race and religion to counter stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination.
- To promote knowledge, wisdom, and harmony based on lived experiences of young people.