BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

EXPLAINING THE RISE OF ISLAM IN MALAYSIA: CONTEXT PRECEDES IDEOLOGY

Author: Moinul Khan

DOI Link: DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2013v34n4a5

ABSTRACT

Malaysia, since the 1970s, saw a trend of increasing adoption of Islamic values both at private and public levels, often referred to as the Islamic resurgence. This has led to an academic interest whether this upsurge of Islam in that country has been driven mainly by Islamic ideology that aims at establishing a universal Islamic order or other circumstances specific to Malaysia. This paper seeks to provide an illuminating explanation to this riddle. Having reviewed the trends of Islamic profile and the main reasons behind it, this paper finds that the ethnic conflict over material interests between the local Malays and non-Malays, political rivalry between two main parties, UMNO and PAS and the consequences of widening gap between the rich and the poor as a result of massive economic programmes, have all prompted the urge for mounting Islamic profile. Had there been no such competition, Islam would have remained marginalised as happened till the 1970s. However, in later times, Islam came as a means or instrument to express discontent by these competing interest groups towards each other. The key element of this analysis is to show that it is context that has largely stimulated the profile of Islam in Malaysia rather than eagerness, the inherent association with Islamic ideology, to establish an Islamic state and a universal order. Findings of this paper reinforce the view that Islam is not necessarily one and uniform and is not essentially linked to politics of ruling and resisting.