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| Southeast Asia |
| Analysts warn about rising intolerance in Malaysia |
| 2022-06-22 |
| [BenarNews] When one of Malaysia’s powerful sultans recently slapped the religious affairs minister with a rare rebuke for saying Moslems shouldn’t participate in a Japanese cultural festival because it had un-Islamic elements, the incident cast a spotlight on growing intolerance here. "Hands off," the Sultan of Selangor indicated. "[U]nderstand the difference between religion and culture," he said via Facebook in publicly scolding Minister Idris Ahmad, of the Islamic Party PAS, which is a partner in the country’s ruling coalition. A potential diplomatic to-do was averted, but the incident has left observers worrying about a climate of fundamentalism in this religiously and racially mixed Islamic-majority nation. The mood in Malaysia is filled with a pandemic-driven economic malaise as the country faces the prospect of a general election months away or next year. There is cause for concern, says Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani, deputy managing director at market advisory firm Bower Group Asia. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #1 "Hands off," the Sultan of Selangor indicated. "[U]nderstand the difference between religion and culture," "We got Islam, we don't need no stinking culture" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2022-06-22 11:27 |