Malaysia goes Islamic (2009)

Guardian ^ | Wednesday 21 October 2009 | Guardian

[Dallas59]

In Malaysia's current political climate, it is no longer possible to distinguish Islamic radicals from Islamic moderates. Despite official boasting about the country's diverse population and commitment to pluralism, Islam and the government have essentially merged.

For two decades, the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO) government invested enormous public resources in building up a network of Islamic institutions. The government's initial intention was to deflect radical demands for an extreme version of Islamic governance. Over time, however, the effort to out-do its critics led the UMNO to over-Islamicize the state.

The UMNO's program has put Sharia law, Sharia courts, and an extensive Islamic bureaucracy in place, a collective effort that has taken on a life of its own. The number of Islamic laws instituted has quadrupled in just over ten years. After Iran or Saudi Arabia, Malaysia's Sharia court system is probably the most extensive in the Muslim world, and the accompanying bureaucracy is not only big but has more bite than the national parliament.

[353FMG]

“....it is no longer possible to distinguish Islamic radicals from Islamic moderates.”

.
Duh. Has it EVER been possible?

[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

The 911 attacks were planned in Kuala Lumpur.

http://www.historycommons.org/timeline.jsp?timeline=911timeline&911timeline_projects_and_programs=911timeline_al_qaeda_malaysia_summit

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/004/152lndzv.asp

[MeshugeMikey]

I have to wonder who might have been on that airplane....that isamic RADICALS wanted to eradicate?

[JimSEA]

Mahathir Mohammed, Malaysia’s long time hard line Muslim PM, stoked the fires of religious and particularly Chinese hatred. Of course, he didn’t much like America either. The northernmost provinces of Malaysia are terrorist supporting Malay nationalists who support the Southern Thailand incursion.

That said, some forty percent of the people are Christian, Chinese Daoist/Buddhist or animist. A significant portion of the Muslims are, in fact moderate and periodically protest the fundamentalists, abet hesitantly as the fundies are violent when arroused.

[Viennacon]

In other news, Brunei just instituted Shariah Law

[MasterGunner01]

This combining of Islam, the religion, and Islam, the state, is exactly one of the reasons why Singapore split from Malaysia in 1965. Malaya, including Singapore, became independent from the UK as Malaysia in 1963, but the Singaporeans -- majority Chinese, British, and Indian -- always butted heads with the predominantly Muslim Malays. Two years after independence from the UK, Singapore wisely bailed out.

The Republic of Singapore is an independent city-state on a 276 square mile island. Population is 5.5 million and the Port of Singapore is the second busiest in the world after Shanghai and first in the transhipment of cargo. It has four official languages: 1) English, 2) Mandarin (Chinese), 3) Tamil (Indian), and 4) Malay.

[skeeter]

The civilized world will elect to eradicate this scourge, sooner or later.

[Viennacon]

Singapore is paradisical. No Sharia law, but certainly a focus on elements of social conservatism that all faiths can agree on. That combined with a free market that encourages huge investment, and a strict immigration system, makes a model for other countries around the world. I only with their immigration process was a little more lax :D

[MasterGunner01]

I can understand their (Singapore's) strict immigration rules. The only way for the island of Singapore to add more land is through fill. Singapore was buying land fill from Indonesia when I was there in the mid-1980s and they still are. Five and a half million people is a lot of bodies on 276 square miles of island.

IMHO, what the world needs is more countries to emulate Singapore's values and not the Muslim states. Muslims get NO special staus or privileges.

[sunrise_sunset]

Plus you will get thrown in jail for criticizing the ruling family.

Singapore is a perfect place for puppies, or humans who can’t handle freedom.

[MasterGunner01]

The sovereign state of Brunei is located on the island of Borneo and is hundreds of miles from Malaysia. Both are Muslim states, but they are not one in the same. As for Sharia, Muslim states go this way sooner or later because Islam is a complete religious-political system.

[Viennacon]

No, but I’m saying Brunei is a canary in the coal-mine for South East Asian Muslim countries.

[MasterGunner01]

That's more clarifying. Thank you.

[expatguy]

Singaporeans long ago sacrificed freedom for security.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Singapore is a perfect place for puppies, or humans who can’t handle freedom.

I really enjoy visiting Singapore, but a friend of mine who does business there often described it accurately as "The world's first corporate state."

Think of the difference between one's civil rights as an American citizen (around, say 1960 - when we still had some) and one's rights as an IBM employee. The IBM-er has to comply with a thousand little company rules to stay employed, none of which apply to anyone outside the company. That's Singapore. Every aspect of life set up to maximize profit and minimize expenses for the government and it's friendly multi-national corporate partners.

And the people are like little kids - well taken care of with all the big decisions made for them by their wiser elders. That's another way Singapore is like IBM. :)