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SHAH ALAM - What happens when Malaysians stop talking about one another — and start talking to one another? That question will take centre stage at the New Muslims Community (NMC) Conference 2026 on Sept 13 at Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur.
Running from 8am to 6pm, the conference will bring together community leaders, professionals, speakers and members of the public for a day of conversations on race, religion, economics, social division, digital culture and what it means to build a Malaysia that belongs to everyone.
Unlike a conventional conference, the organisers are opening the floor to participants after every panel through an OpenMic session, allowing them to ask questions, share experiences, disagree respectfully and respond to the issues raised on stage.
PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS HERE nmcconference.org
The organisers describe the gathering as part of a wider national effort to help Malaysians “trust one another again”, with new Muslims, or reverts, placed at the heart of the conversation because of their lived experience across different racial and cultural worlds.
The conference follows two earlier NMC tours — in Johor Bahru on July 4 and Perak on Aug 1 — which examined how fear, economic hardship and racial narratives can deepen social divisions.
The Grand Conference will bring those conversations together under one roof, exploring questions such as who benefits when Malaysians are encouraged to fear one another, how economic hardship becomes associated with race, why the actions of an individual can be used to judge an entire community, and what it would take for Malaysia to become a nation genuinely shared by all.
Four panels will anchor the programme.
“The Digital Battlefield” will examine social media, manufactured fear and the use of race as a tool for mobilisation online.
“What’s Your ‘Type’?” will explore poverty, stereotypes and how race can shape perceptions of money, opportunity and merit.
“The Neighbourhood Without Neighbours” will look at increasingly segregated residential patterns and their possible impact on the next generation.
The final panel, “Living Between Two Worlds”, will focus on the experiences of new Muslims and their potential role as bridges across Malaysia’s racial and cultural divides.
Speakers include Datuk Dr Sheikh Hussain Yee, Datuk Kamarudin Abdullah, Firdaus Wong, Prof Dr Ahmed Razman Abdul Latiff, Amin Idris, Sheahnee Lee and Datuk Nelson Fernandez, among other speakers from professional and community backgrounds.
The programme will also include lunch, prayer sessions, dining and networking, giving participants an opportunity to engage beyond the formal sessions.
For those who believe difficult conversations should not be avoided simply because they are uncomfortable, NMCC 2026 offers an opportunity to be part of the discussion.
Tickets are available at nmcconference.org.
Come with questions, come with experiences, come ready to listen — and perhaps ready to rethink something you thought you already knew.
