Malaysia

Hijrah or Pop Islam? Implications for Malaysia

The pace of Islamisation in Malaysia has undoubtedly increase in the past decade. Spiritual Hijrah by the masses towards greater piety is of course commendable – until it is used by celebrities, entrepreneurs, and politicians for their personal gain.

Malay Political Polarization and Islamic Populism in Malaysia

Islamic populism is currently a go-to strategy for Malay-based political parties vying for support form the same pool of electorates. This has been detrimental to the rights and liberties of non-Muslims in Malaysia with the possibility of extremism.

Returning To Our Roots: The Anger and Heartbreak of Young Malay Men

Introduction In 2020, as the world faced the Covid-19 pandemic, Malaysia saw the resurgence of the Malay narrative. This is not unusual as annually, politicians and far-right nationalists demand for Malay rights to be further reinstated and entrenched in public policies. Sparked by the cover of a book edited by Kean Wong, “Rebirth: Reformasi, Resistance, …

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Gendering Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Initiatives in Malaysia

Introduction Malaysia is not immune to the dangers of violent extremist groups. This is due to two factors, namely, 1) its geographical location which is surrounded by conflict prone areas such as Southern Thailand, Southern Philippines, and Indonesia that have seen the formation of extremist groups such as Jamaah Islamiyah (JI)and Abu Sayyaf, and 2) …

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Linguistic Appeal of Daesh’s Propaganda

By creating meaning and constructing reality, Malaysians have abandoned their ordinary lives (former lecturer and former municipal council worker on the left and right, respectively) in pursuit of violence (e.g. attack on Marawi City, Philippines in 2017). Credit: ST A Four-Part Series on Extremism and Online Recruitment by (Part 1: Linguistic Appeal of Propaganda) Introduction …

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Malaysia: The Pandemic and Emergency and its Consequences on Parliament and Elections

With the consent from the King, a state of Emergency was declared in Malaysia in 2021. Credit: Bernama Introduction On 12 January 2021, Malaysia’s King, Al-Sultan Abdullah, consented to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s request to declare a state of Emergency throughout the entire country. As it stands, the Emergency is scheduled to last until 1 …

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The Invisible Women and Children of Malaysia: The Vulnerability of Stateless Persons to Terrorism and Violent Extremism

Stateless children at a night market in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Credit: Reuters Women and Children in Terrorism: A Four-Part Analysis (Part 3: Case Study of Malaysia) Introduction The complex reality and volatile nature of terrorism and violent extremism (VE) transcends borders in today’s global village. Globally connected, terrorism continues to become more sophisticated, more indiscriminate …

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Info-demic in Malaysia: Present and Future Challenges

To mitigate fake news, revival of Malaysia’s Anti-fake news Act was discussed in November 2020. Credit: ST File Introduction In mid-November 2020, word of a possible revival of Malaysia’s Anti-fake News Act floated during parliament sittings. Justifying these discussions were the unhindered, wide-spread dissemination of voluminous content deemed as ‘fake news’ as authorities were preoccupied …

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