Kuala Lampur, April 15 -- When he was prime minister, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi - affectionately called "Pak Lah" - introduced "Islam Hadhari" (Civilisational Islam).

Pak Lah visioned it as the approach for nation building and good governance in which the principle of justice and fairness for everyone in Malaysia retained the highest priority.

The approach served to establish a fresh climate of trust between different religions and ethnic groups in the country.

Pak Lah was convinced that Islam Hadhari was suitable for plural societies everywhere as it encompassed the humane teachings of Islam.

In his own words, "central to Islam Hadhari is the civilisational potential that Islam offers for the renewal of societies, grounded upon the e...