PAS solely defines Malaysia's Islamic narrative

PAS solely defines Malaysia's Islamic narrative

S Thayaparan


“The Islamic struggle is not 100 percent owned by PAS. It is one as taught by the Prophet, for all Muslims.”

- Kelantan Amanah legal bureau 

director Hisham Fauzi

COMMENT | The reason Amanah is not taken seriously by religiously inclined voters in this country who support PAS or PAS adjacent is because according to PAS, Amanah is a creation of DAP.

That is the propaganda out there and Amanah has never been able to debunk it. This is not to say that Amanah has not done its job in presenting a kinder face of Islam in this coalition.

Amanah political operatives enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship with the non-Malay Pakatan Harapan base and superficially project a narrative that there is another form of Islam in this country.

Harapan’s former religious czar Mujahid Yusof Rawa is a perfect example of how Amanah has attempted to have it both ways, before elections as a moderate force and after elections as the enforcer of Islamic doctrine for the Harapan state.

The religious dissonance this caused was described by Hew Wai Heng in an article for the New Mandala a couple of years ago.

In the article describing the “Himpunan Kebangkitan Ummah’” (Ummah Awakening Gathering), he wrote: “The new religious affairs minister Mujahid Yusof Rawa was criticised for 'not defending (Islamic preacher) Dr Zakir Naik' and 'compromised on LGBT issues'. PAS leaders tried, through these criticisms, to portray a more “Islamic” image compared with Harapan’s Muslim leaders.”

And if you think that Mujahid was in the hot seat, take heed to the propaganda faced by DAP’s Syerleena Abdul Rashid, when she was accused of going against Islam.

It was reported in 2018 that the then Seri Delima assemblyperson was up in arms over malicious Facebook posters “legalising” (menghalalkan) her murder for allegedly betraying Islam and attacking its religious institutions.


Powerful portrayal

Not only does PAS define the religious narrative in this country, they understand that it is a narrative which gives them enormous power.

You want to know what real power is? All those people who voted for PAS/Perikatan Nasional in Terengganu, Kelantan and Kedah, wiping out opposition in those states.

After all the cash and favours this Madani government poured into those states, after all the supplication of the Madani government to the narratives of PAS, people still chose to embrace PAS and its religious narrative.

Mind you, those people who returned to vote understand the prosperity and functionality of states not run by PAS/PN. They understand the quality of life in terms of access to healthcare and economic opportunities that came with stability and inclusivity of those states not run by PAS/PN.

They witness first-hand how the different ethnic communities live, work and play together with conviviality for the most part, in states not run by PAS/PN.

But most importantly they understand the deprivations both economic and social that comes with religious governance. They understand the lack of infrastructure and economic opportunities that also come with it.

They understand the diminishing returns on personal freedoms, and yet they wholeheartedly embrace what PAS/PN is offering to them. That is religious power.

To make the argument that PAS does not 100 percent own the Islamic narrative in this country, you must do two things.

First, you must point to a sustained counter-narrative. Second, you must be able to demonstrate through policy that your Islamic narrative is different from that espoused by PAS.

Now, the second point is tricky. Of course, there is an objective difference between the states run by PAS/PN and those run by Harapan.

The objective of PAS is to erode those differences thereby making it easier for PAS/PN to dismantle the pockets of moderate states here in Malaysia.

This means that every time a bookshop is raided, every time the state sanctions individuals deemed as unIslamic, the work of PAS is done for them.


Spreading the word

How do they do this? Well since the Islamic narrative is defined by PAS, this means that the religious bureaucracy and its tributaries do the work of promulgating this narrative through policy and outreach.

This not only includes the religious bureaucracy but also other institutions, which Umno defined as Malay institutions.

Keep in mind that a huge majority went to PAS/PN. The fact that this happened means that PAS/PN is the establishment vote. This demonstrates that after decades of Islamisation of our security apparatus, they do not need to be told anymore who to vote for.

And if you think that this was some sort of protest vote against corruption and shoddy governance, I have a bridge to sell you someplace up north.


‘True Muslim’ meme

I have often been accused of being anti-Islam and anti-Malay. Nothing is further from the truth. In fact, I have publicly disagreed with the “true Muslim” meme propagated by non-Muslim power brokers and their supporters.

The true Muslim meme is those Muslims who conform to the secular agenda of the opposition which means they are the gentler face of Islam and thus, acceptable to mainstream urban politics.

I have argued that DAP, with all its problems, should be on the front line in the defence of secularism and should not engage in the dialectic in Islam with the exception of promoting secularism as a means of governing.

Furthermore, if there is to be engagement, secularism should be the counter-narrative to all religious dogma that are flash points in this country.

I have written that there should be a plurality of Islamic voices in this country, even going so far as to state that any kind of perceived Islamic views should not be silenced but rather open to rebuttal in the public discourse.

What I have always maintained is that the state interpretation of Islam should be inclusive but reject any and all extremist statements or actions that threaten the stability of the state and the security of citizens.

I am on record of advocating that the beliefs of people should not be the concern of the state - however they choose to define it - and the state should not sanction behaviour deemed unIslamic.

Do not make the mistake of thinking that the main targets of these religious extremists are the non-Malay community. No, the real targets of those extremists are the Malay-Muslim community. What they are attempting to do is control the narrative of Islam in this country.

And PAS has succeeded.



S THAYAPARAN is commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”