JULY 8 ― Nearly a week after the attack on a club in Puchong, it has finally come to light. The attacks were the first recorded act of terror by the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Malaysia.
The suspects are said to be under the instructions of our own (albeit more modest version of) Osama bin Laden, one Muhamad Wanndy Mohamad Jedi who is now in Syria. Fifteen suspects have now been arrested, including two policemen.
The last factoid should send shivers of fear down our collective spines. I salute our police for its honesty in the matter. In these times, denial is the worst reaction possible.
However, while the attack only happened a week ago, it actually began almost 40 years ago. In our haste to get past the problem, let us not make the mistake of being superficial. Thinking about the Movida attack in isolated terms is akin to thinking Krakatoa only happened the day of its eruption.
No, the build-up to that eruption could have taken decades. In the same way, Malaysia’s first terror attack began on the first day we embraced “Islamization.” Please do not misunderstand. I am not against Islam per se. On the contrary, I believe the Quran has infinite wisdom to offer mankind.
Rather, I am against a cultural colonialism which has overtaken our nation disguised as Islamization. Due to the Malay Muslim reverence for anything Arabic, we were overwhelmed by this cultural deluge until we forgot our own.
The most obvious example of this is of course the ubiquitous headscarf. The headscarf has nothing to do with the Quran’s concept of modesty yet its presence is overwhelming. Watch any Malay film of yesteryear and you will see the effect of its proliferation. Back then, almost no one wore it yet they were as modest as today, if not more so.
This is where we need to make the subtle distinction between conservatism and fascism. Of course Muslim women have the right to wear the tudung. We must protect this right. That may be seen as conservative. But the ideology or propaganda behind the tudung is what we need to consider.
Are women being subjected to social pressures for not wearing it? An overwhelming level of anecdotal evidence tells us that this is indeed the case. The religious purveyors approached the faith in a very superficial way.
The people who began the political ideology of “Islamisation” were very intelligent and well-educated people who probably meant well. However, the “Islamisation” operatives were hardly so. Remember that “Islamisation” is seen to be a specialist process.
You need the ustazs and ustazahs to do the job. They tended to see the world in the way their Islamic universities told them to ― Muslims vs the Kuffar (infidels). It is they who poisoned a whole generation of young minds to think like Islamofascists.
So where are we today? After a generation of “Islamisation” policies, we have become a pseudo-Arabic nation. Our master terrorist Mohammed Wandy is a good example of this. While he is full of hatred and gave instructions for indiscriminate killing, he chose to also adopt Arabic style naming, Abu Hamza. This seemingly insignificant act actually tells us a lot ― that Wandy adopted the presentation and politics of Arabs. The essence of islam is sorely lacking in his rhetoric.
Ironically, not much actual Islam has manifested in our nation. We are still rife with corruption, injustice. Yet the upholders of Islam say nothing about it at all. A state mufti has not uttered a peep about corruption yet calls peaceful citizens kafir harbi (warring infidels). We feted and loved Zakir Naik, yet the Dhaka terrorists were inspired by him and followed his teachings. How can we not be culpable for this terrorist incident?
So do not be surprised that the IS attack happened. The ground was prepared decades ago. Seeds were sown and lovingly nurtured by the religious crowd. And the durian has now landed on our heads! Many more durians will land on our heads until we uproot the trees and clear the orchards.
* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
