Halloween Draws Muslim Ire in Malaysia as Tensions Simmer

By admin-s Last updated Oct 31, 2014

While a Muslim himself, he is viewed with distrust by some Muslim conservatives who fear his blossoming multiracial opposition movement will open the door to a more liberal, pluralistic Malaysia.

(The Wall Street Journal) – A Muslim religious edict denouncing Halloween parties in Malaysia might not seem like a significant move. Plenty of Christian groups also view the commerce and frivolity that accompany the celebration as vaguely pagan and a little bit off-color.

But the role of Islam in public life is becoming a combustible issue here, driven on in part by the deepening conflict between government supporters and backers of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, whose trial on sodomy charges at the country’s highest court is gaining momentum.

Muslim leaders recently criticized a dog-petting event in Kuala Lumpur, accusing the organizer, himself a Muslim, as spreading un-Islamic practices. Dogs are considered unclean in some interpretations of Islam. Oktoberfest beer celebrations, while aimed at Malaysia’s large ethnic-Chinese and Indian populations, have also been criticized. The edict, or fatwa, against Halloween, posted on the “e-fatwa” website of the religious affairs ministry, warned that the day “cannot be celebrated by Muslims.”

A good portion of the broader controversy over Islam in Malaysia revolves around Mr. Anwar, 67.

While a Muslim himself, he is viewed with distrust by some Muslim conservatives who fear his blossoming multiracial opposition movement will open the door to a more liberal, pluralistic Malaysia where Islam—and the Malay majority—might lose its prestige.

An appellate court convicted Mr. Anwar of sodomy in March, and Malaysia’s highest court is now hearing his final appeal against that verdict. The case stems from accusations claiming that Mr. Anwar had sexual relations with a male aide in 2008. He strenuously denies charges that he broke Malaysia’s strict sodomy laws, describing it as a political plot to tarnish his name.

Figures such as Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman, president of Islamic lobby group Malay Muslim Solidarity, known by its Malay acronym ISMA, describe Mr. Anwar as a socialist or, worse, a stooge of the West.

But while Islamic beliefs have seen a renaissance in Malaysia, as they have done in other Muslim countries around the world, political analysts say what’s really going on here is an attempt by some of the country’s ethnic-Malay majority to use Islam to ensure they hold onto the reins of power here, as they have done since independence from Britain over 60 years ago.

Briefly put, the rise in Islamist rhetoric in Malaysia is racial politics by another name.

“Malay supremacy was the old school. People like Abdullah Zaik and others like him belong to the new school, and that’s Islamist supremacy,” says James Chin, a professor at the Malaysian campus of Australia’s Monash University. “It’s potentially more volatile.”

Some older Malaysians worry that Mr. Anwar risks upsetting the delicate racial balance in a country where 60% of the 30 million population is Muslim Malay, but where much of the economic wealth flows to ethnic-Chinese-owned businesses. The memory of race riots in 1969 still resonates deeply.

“If Mr. Anwar isn’t careful he could tip it all over,” worries Zaki Rahman, 68, outside the Masjid Jamek mosque in central Kuala Lumpur.