COMMENT | I say this as a Muslim and as someone who comes from a mixed background. Living between different worlds teaches you something important very early in life. A person’s worth does not change because of his race, his language, or the way he prays.

What changes is how society chooses to see him. And in Malaysia today, too many people are still being made to feel smaller than they should in the country they call home.

Malaysia is often praised as a peaceful country made up of many races and religions. On the surface, that picture still looks true. We go to school together, work together, eat at the same stalls, and live in the same towns. We take comfort in that and call it proof that our unity is strong.

But lately, that comfort feels less convincing.

The problem is no longer just a few rude people saying offensive things online. The problem is that...