Commitment Ritual

5.8.1 Commitment Ritual

The ritual element of the commitment stage evidently occurs in the conversion process of the Muslim converts involved in this study. It is common that the Syahadah ritual to

be carried out in a ceremony where t he new convert‟s family, relatives and friends are invited to witness the solemnisation of the religious conversion.

However, in contrast to Rambo‟s argument that offence and sense of irrationality could

be felt by outsiders during the ritual ceremony, such reaction is a very rare occurrence within the Dusun community. Analysing the interview data of the non-Muslim Dusuns who participated in this study, it is clear that the Dusuns generally can negotiate the distinctive feature of the commitment ritual in a conversion to Islam vis-à-vis their own religious belief. For instance, a Dusun father had allowed his children to have their conversion ceremony at the family residence because he believed the ceremony is not, in any way, in conflict with the Dusun traditions nor offensive:

[E57.Dusun.I52]

The principle is simple: if Muslims could practice non-Islamic traditions that are not conflicting with their religion, it is thus not wrong for the Dusuns to accept Islamic ceremonies that are not at odds with the adat. So why should I forbid my own children from having their conversion here [his home]? ... [Trans.]

A similar view had also been expressed by a 39-year-old Dusun:

[E58.Dusun.I47]

I guess the fact that we nowadays are familiar with Islam, the Syahadah no longer sounds foreign to us. It probably did cause offence to our elders in the past but I do not think it is still the case nowadays. Moreover, we also need to understand that, by converting, they [the converts] have left behind the Dusun religion and they no longer should adhere to the adat... [Trans.]

Likewise, and also in contrast to Ramb o‟s argument, a 48-year-old Dusun teacher firmly viewed the conversion ceremony as a form of communal event for the Dusuns:

[E59.Dusun.I60]

Conversion ceremony to Islam is a common thing nowadays. We see it on TV and it is in the newspapers all the time. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was invited to a conversion ceremony of my wife‟s

niece. We went and attended the ceremony, and it seems like a normal event to me. In fact, the way I see it, the ceremony is no longer just about celebrating the new convert, but it has gradually become a social gathering event for family and relatives... [Trans.]

The above excerpts demonstrate that the existing knowledge about Islam which the non-Muslims possess has amounted to their acceptance of the commitment ritual. Accordingly, with such acceptance in place, it essentially prevents the Dusuns from getting the impression that the conversion ceremony establishes a sense of boundary between the Dusuns and the new converts, as Rambo suggests. Moreover, as the Muslim lifestyle has also been adopted by a significant percentage of the non-Muslim population in the country, any changes in lifestyle that the new converts would make after the conversion would not be too different from the lifestyle of many Dusuns. This situation further removes the boundary markers that could distinguish the converts from the general Dusuns. Thus, it would be appropriate to argue that the effects of the The above excerpts demonstrate that the existing knowledge about Islam which the non-Muslims possess has amounted to their acceptance of the commitment ritual. Accordingly, with such acceptance in place, it essentially prevents the Dusuns from getting the impression that the conversion ceremony establishes a sense of boundary between the Dusuns and the new converts, as Rambo suggests. Moreover, as the Muslim lifestyle has also been adopted by a significant percentage of the non-Muslim population in the country, any changes in lifestyle that the new converts would make after the conversion would not be too different from the lifestyle of many Dusuns. This situation further removes the boundary markers that could distinguish the converts from the general Dusuns. Thus, it would be appropriate to argue that the effects of the

Moreover, such familiarity elicits support from the personal network of the new converts that enables the latter to publicly officiate their commitment to Islam. In view of this situation, this study will suggest that the key component of context which defines the specific characteristics of the commitment stage of the Muslim Dusuns is the support component. The following section will discuss this argument in detail.