MUSLIM HATE IN MALAYSIA
Malaysia and the Myth of Islamic Tolerance
Posted by Rich Trzupek on Jan 22nd, 2010
Frontpage.com
Malaysia is often held up as the model of what a modern Muslim-majority nation can be. The ruling class, the bumiputra (literally “princes of the earth”) are largely, though not entirely, Muslim. But when Malaysia’s High Court ruled in late December to lift a government ban on non-Muslims using the word “Allah,” Christian churches became the targets of fire-bombing attacks. This eruption of violence suggests that there is trouble brewing just beneath the surface even in this supposed paradise of Islamic moderation.
At last count, eleven Christian churches and one Sikh temple have been attacked in Malaysia. That makes twelve attacks against places of worship in half a month’s time. What does it say about Islamic values when the impetus for these attacks was the use of a particular word?
Everyone agrees that the word “Allah” pre-dates the birth of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In Malaysia, as in most of the Muslim of the world, Allah simply means God, the same God that, according to the Quran itself, both Christians and Jews worship. Nonetheless, use of the word Allah among non-Muslims has long been prohibited by law in Malaysia. A December 31 ruling by a Malaysian court overturned that law, a move that upset many of the nation’s Muslims, who make up about sixty per cent of the populace. They claim that non-Muslims will use the word to corrupt Muslims into accepting infidel beliefs.
Once again, we are presented with evidence of Islamic intolerance and insecurity. To his credit, Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib condemned the attacks, which undermine both his “One Malaysia” policy and his re-election prospects. But no matter how much tolerance the leader of this nation may preach, the actions of his co-religionists speak much louder. Emboldened by an increasingly aggressive, violent, world-wide Islamic resurgence over the last few decades, this episode reveals what expatriates who have lived in Malaysia have long claimed: that the supposed harmony of Malaysia is nothing but a glossy veneer that barely covers up the inequities and prejudices of this society.
The Malaysian constitution grants special privileges to the bumiputra, or as they are called in the constitution, Malays. Malays are defined as those citizens who profess the religion of Islam, habitually speak the Malay language and conform to Malay customs. The constitution directs the King of Malaysia (Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy) to safeguard the special position of the Malays and to ensure that a certain percentage of public services and scholarships and other similar educational privileges are reserved by the federal government for the benefit of Malays.
The bumiputra enjoy other advantages as well. A certain percentage of stock in publicly-traded companies is reserved for the bumiputra. Traditionally, they pay less for real estate than other Malaysian citizens. This is clearly a separate and unequal society. Which is not to say that Malaysia is not governed in a more liberal fashion than reactionary Muslim nations like Iran and Saudi Arabia. Western clothing can be found on the streets of Kuala Lampur. Christians, Buddhists and Hindus, if less than equal compared to their Muslim masters, are at least allowed to practice their faith in relative peace.
Or rather they were allowed to worship in relative peace. The government of Malaysia has officially condemned the attacks, even as it tries to have the troublesome court ruling that set off the firestorm reversed. Troops have been dispatched to protect non-Islamic houses of worship, but it seems unlikely that many of the 2.3 million Christians who live in Malaysia feel safe going to church.
Even in this most mainstream of Muslim-ruled nations, supposed Islamic tolerance has been once again shown to be a matter of style, not substance.
Malaysian Unequal rights
Malaysian Muslim men can take up to four wives, and have an automatic right to divorce.
Under sharia, a woman must prove her case before a judge if their husband objects.
Malaysian men can divorce their wives by saying "I divorce you" three times to his wife. This can be done simply by a text message in Malaysia but it needs to be agreed by a court.
Sharia law in one state is not applicable in another - a divorced man can avoid paying child support by moving.
There were 16,509 Muslim divorces in 2004, more than 5 times the 3291 divorces among the non-Muslims who make up 40% of the population.
I divorce you, I divorce you, I divorce you
MALAYSIA: Divorce for men is easy under sharia-but women are fighting back
by Elleen Ng in Kuala Lumpur
Aida Melly Tan Abdullah was in marital wilderness for seven years because her abusive husband refused to give her a divorce-despite beating her and secretly taking a second wife.
She lost count of the number of times she was in and out of sharia court, unable to convince judges she was the aggrieved party, the victim.
"I was in a state of limbo . . . It was mentally torturous," recalls Aida, 39, mother of a l year-old daughter.
Aida's case is not unique. Although Malaysia has been hailed as one of the most progressive Muslim nations, women activists say the country has an outdated sharia system that discriminates against Muslim women in family and inheritance matters and violates their constitutional liberties.
Moreover, women say, the situation is growing worse as religious authorities become stricter and political parties increasingly compete for the votes of conservative Muslims.
"Muslim women here are only going backward," Marina Mahathir, an activist and daughter of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, wrote in the Star newspaper.
Aida said even her lawyer, a woman, failed to fight for her rights advising her to return to her husband. In desperation, she studied Islamic laws to represent herself in court. After a high-profile legal battle that attracted nationwide attention, she finally walked out of sharia court a single woman in October 2002.
"Our sharia system needs to be reformed. Malaysia's Islamic family laws are not reflective of principles in the Koran that promise justice for women and children," Aida said.
Religion is part of public life in this Southeast Asian nation, where more than half of its 26 million population are Muslims governed by sharia laws in personal and matrimonial issues. Chinese, Indian and other minorities come under civil laws.
Under Islamic laws, Muslim men can take up to four wives. Men have the automatic right to divorce but women must prove their case before a judge if their husband objects.
An amendment to Islamic family law making it easier for Muslim men to divorce their wives yet take a greater share of the couple's property was put on hold and sent for review after widespread protests. Critics said the amendment promotes polygamy.
Activists say the bill in its present form goes against the vision of progressive Islam espoused by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
Already, divorces among Muslims are high: 16,509 in 2004, more than five times the 3291 divorces that year among non-Muslims who make up around 40 per cent of the population.
Sisters in Islam, a women's group
leading the campaign for sharia reforms, said the rights of Muslim women had been gradually chiseled away through various amendments to the Islamic family law since the l990s.
"Malaysia once had the most progressive family law in the Muslim world. Now, countries like Morocco, Turkey and Tunisia are way ahead of us," said its director Zainah Anwar.
"The religious belief of subservience to men is still dominant."
Anwar blamed growing religious conservatism and exploitation of faith for political gains for the worsening legal status of Muslim women.
The latest family law amendment "seems to thumb a nose at the huge strides and contributions women have made in this society by telling them that 'Hey, no matter what you are, you are still under our control'," she said.
The Sisters in Islam group said its legal clinic for Muslim women deals with an average of 700 sharia court cases each year, most of them divorce or child support disputes.
Cases are often lengthy because there is no one single set of laws, experts say. Religious matters come under state jurisdiction, leading to different interpretation and enforcement of sharia in the country.
As such, errant men can circumvent the law because the ruling of sharia court in one state is not applicable in another. For instance, a divorced man can avoid paying child support by moving to another state.
Two states have archaic laws that give Muslim fathers the right to marry off a daughter without her consent.
Malaysia is also one of few Islamic countries which allows Muslim men to make divorce pronouncements outside of a court situation.
A Muslim man can annul a marriage by uttering "I divorce you" three times to his wife.
In Malaysia, men can do so by sending mobile phone text messages, although the divorce needs to be confirmed by the court.
One victim of such loopholes, a 46 year-old woman who would identify herself only as Zainib, wary of using her full identity for fear it would complicate her legal problems.
Despite being divorced for eight years, she says she is still seeking child support for her five children after her ex-husband remarried and moved from the central state of Selangor to eastern Terengganu.
"Why is it so easy for men to run away from their responsibilities while the women and children suffer?"
By
Ioannis Gatsiounis
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
August 4, 2006
KUALA
LUMPUR, Malaysia -- At a time of rage and intolerance throughout much of the
Muslim world, Malaysia stands out as a source of hope that Muslims and
non-Muslims can live together in a Muslim-majority nation.
The Southeast Asian nation, whose flag bears the Muslim crescent and moon,
has made considerable economic gains.
Its majority Muslim population has coexisted peacefully with the 40 percent
non-Muslim population, mostly Chinese and Indian.
In addition, no major incident of violence has been committed in the name of
Islam on Malaysian soil.
It's no wonder Muslim and Western leaders hold Malaysia in high esteem.
The hat-tipping is set to continue when Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi
delivers a keynote address at the sixth Asia-Europe Meeting in Finland next
month.
The European Union wants Mr. Abdullah to share Malaysia's success in the
areas of race relations and interfaith issues.
If the past is any indication, Mr. Abdullah will claim tolerance and unity
as enduring traits of the Malaysian people. He will swear by Islam Hadhari (Civilizational
Islam), a political and ideological interpretation of the faith that stresses
moderation and technological and economic competitiveness.
But back home a different reality is unfolding under Mr. Abdullah's watch,
one that raises questions about his commitment to Islam Hadhari and may have
far-reaching implications for what is known as a "model Islamic democracy."
Hard-line Muslims have grown irate in recent months over efforts to
establish a commission to enhance understanding among Malaysia's various faiths.
The latest protest was on July 22, when a private organization named Article
11 gathered in an upper-floor hotel ballroom in the state of Johor Bahru.
The organization wants the Malaysian government to guarantee equality and
freedom of worship as the supreme law of the land. About 300 Muslims scowled
from behind a police line at the hotel entrance, brandishing signs that said,
"Don't touch Muslim sensitivities," "Destroy anti-Muslims" and "We are ready to
sacrifice ourselves for Islam."
In May, hard-liners threatening to storm an Article 11 venue brought the
forum to an abrupt end.
Mr. Abdullah has responded to the tensions by cracking down -- not on the
hard-liners, but on Article 11.
"Do not force the government to take action," he warned the organization.
He accused Article 11 of playing up religious issues and threatening to
shatter Malaysia's fragile social balance by highlighting "sensitive" issues.
It is an article of faith in Malaysia that "sensitive" issues should not be
discussed openly.
Yet it is these same issues -- race, religion and a longtime affirmative
action program benefiting the majority Malays -- that are dear to many Malaysian
hearts.
The issues are discussed passionately, albeit behind closed doors, within one's own racial community. Mr. Abdullah has issued a stern warning to journalists to stop reporting on issues related to religious matters.