Malaysia: Contemporary Affairs

Ethno-religious tensions remain at the forefront of Malaysian politics. Sunni Muslims account for 60 percent of the country’s population, and there remain significant numbers of Christians, Hindus, Shi’as, and other minority faiths. Similarly, the majority of citizens are ethnic Malays, but a third of citizens are of Chinese and Indian descent. Ethnically Indian Malaysians continue to experience marginalization by the government, as do ethnic Chinese living in rural areas. The United Malays National Organization (UMNO) has largely monopolized power since independence, but has come under increasing pressure from the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), which appeals primarily to rural Sunni voters in the religiously conservative northern states, and an increasingly well-coordinated opposition. Anwar Ibrahim, a leader of the opposition, has emerged as a popular but controversial advocate of interreligious dialogue in Malaysia and beyond. UMNO has also moved away from outspoken Malay nationalism, and Prime Minister Najib Razak recently initiated the "1Malaysia" campaign, aimed at integrating Malaysia's ethnic and religious minorities. Many hope this campaign will bring an end to the government-sanctioned destruction of Hindu temples that occurred in previous years. The government of Malaysia is also working to improve relations with Christians; in 2009, a court ruled that Christian organizations may use "Allah" to refer to God in their publications, reversing a longstanding ban on non-Muslim use of the word. Despite efforts to decrease tension between Muslims and other religious communities, conflict between the Sunni majority and Shi’as shows no signs of improvement. As recently as May 2011, the government raided a Shi’a gathering and detained four, following a December 2010 raid that detained 200.