Islamic revival up sets Malaysian stability

Press, 24 April 1980, Page 16

Islamic revival up sets Malaysian stability

From the “Economist,” London

Thje rise of Islamic fundamentalism is divisive enough in countries that are mostly Moslem. In Malaysia, wherie racial and religious conflicts among the 47 per cent ((Moslem)- Malays, 34 per dent Chinese and 9 per ce..t Indians keep the country on a knife edge, any movement towards enlarging the sway of Islam could provoke \an explosion. And movement there is. At -’least eight fund-

amentalist groups are operating- iht Malaysia, three of - them Government-supported. ' In Kedah state, 15 member”, of au underground group called the Movement of the Forces of Allah were arrested recently for preaching the. need for a “pure” Islamic state. Four members of another extremist group were killed in a clash with temple guards after breaking idols in Hindu temples. When a hostel building. in a village near Kuala Lumpur caught fi-c not long ago, the authorities discovered that it housed 200 youngsters, aged between seven and 14, who were having instruction from a fundamentalist ■ sect which bans all contact with non-Moslems. Missionaries financed by Libya and Saudi Arabia have had an impact in universities and even in the army and the police force. A senior army officer was exiled to a diplomatic post because of his involvement in the fundamentalist movement: more than 10 per cent of Malaysia’s men in uniform are; estimated to have fundamentalist connections.

In deference to Islamic pressure, the Government has stopped serving liquor at official functions. More and more women have taken to wearing veils, even at universities.

A prime focus for fundamentalist pressure in ; Malaysia, as elsewhere, is the law. At the, moment only personal Islamic law is applied in Malaysia, -and only to Moslems. Some people want to extend this law to non-Mbslems; more militant groups' want . to throw out the .British-based common law system and "replace it with an Islamic code.

Although the Federal Government is worried by- calls for the imposition of extreme Islamic penalties, it is reluctant to resist them for fear of being seen as unlslamic by its' largely Moslem constituency. Most of the ’’ederal Cabinet Ministers are English-educated, which puts them on the defensive in religious arguments with the mostly Malay — or Arabic-trained militants. Another difficulty for the Government is the fact that religion is a State responsibility. The ruling parties in the 13 states, all members, of the National Front coalition which runs the Federal Government, have been competing to prove their Islamic credentials by tightening up the implementation of Islamic law. . Kedah state took the lead by sending a delegation to the Middle East last year to study the application of Koranic punishments. Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Kuala

Lumpur have followed the trend by requiring all married Moslems to carry their marriage certificates.

As always, laws and punishments relating to sex offences are the most controversial, and the most worrying, particularly to non-Moslems. The Islamic offence of khalwat is considered to have been committed when an unmarried couple are seer. “in, close proximity aud in suspicious circumstances.”

Non-Moslem partners in this offence generally get off in Malaysia, but sometimes the law has been carried to extremes.

Islamicises are urging that non-Moslems • should be liable for khalwat punishment. As distinguished a lawyer as the dean of the University of Malaya’s law faculty told a seminar two years ago that. Koranic penalties such as stoning to death for adultery were suitable for Malaysia. The fundamentalist movement has attracted considerable support among young Malays, at least partly because they see orthodox Islam as a . convenient vehicle for expressing opposition to the .. Government. Whereas Left-wing activities could land them in jail, the Government normally moves cautiously when dealing with people acting in the name of Islam.

How long it can continue to do so, and what will happen if it moves against the fundamentalists, are two of the most important questions to be asked about Malaysia today.