UPPERMOVE COULD BACKFIRE ON UMNO
The impact wo n’t last, especially at the ballot box, according to Mr. Asrul Hadi, an analyst who predicted that Dr. Akmal’s actions could help UMNO win Malay support.
” The dread Akmal had stoked in the non-Malay communities may be harmful, especially as the party is gearing up for the Sabah position election. He claimed that it has undoubtedly sparked unease among the coalition’s partners.
While Sabah may hold primaries by December 2025, observers have predicted that the condition could carry snap elections as early as August this year, with some speculating that UMNO’s election performance may be crucial to the group’s social success on the island.
If UMNO does no grip in officials like Akmal, non-Malay support for the unity government might be tested, according to Mr. Asrul Hadi.
Dr. Azmi claimed that the allegedly shifting attitude of UMNO on the socks scandal could be another strategic move by its leadership to satisfy the other multicultural parties in the unity government, which had grown increasingly hostile toward Dr. Akmal.
” No fear, this has been politicised, and much worse, it has become Malay versus Chinese or Malaya versus Sarawakian”, he said.
Chance OF RACIAL Conflicts
In order to exacerbate racial and religious conflicts, activists from Sabah and Sarawak, which pleasure themselves on racial and religious diversity, had demanded that Dr. Akmal and other people become denied entry to the state.
A Sarawak-based group has also urged the state government to support KK Super Mart and its leader, KK Chai, calling the company the state’s “business ambassador.”
People also questioned why more notice was never paid, and believed this could be a deliberate attack on Islam by non-Muslims, said Dr. Chai, who may have said the boots were in error.
The battle culture, in which certain actions are quickly perceived as an assault against Islam, plays a significant role in this politicisation of religion, she said.
” Today, those who were riled up by the concern felt the need to protect Islam, whether through police information, calls for a boycott, or, in extreme cases, gasoline explosives,” according to the statement.
According to Ms. Afra, these incidents may cause some non-Muslims to feel uneasy and watchful of retaliation, while others may use them as a platform to scorn those who are offended for their “pettiness or paranoia.”
They may then react to such slurs, saying once more that they or Islam are being attacked, perpetuating the cycle, she said.
At least two persons have been charged in the boots story for posting offensive social media posts that were viewed as being against Islam.
One of them, Chiok Wai Loong, had posted a Twitter post in which he advised Muslims to stop being so sensitive about the topic. He later deleted his blog and apologized in a video for his insensitivity after being cautioned against offending Muslims by others.
Chiok, 35, was on Mar 22 sentenced to six months ‘ jail and fined RM12, 000 ( US$ 2, 527 ), according to local news site Free Malaysia Today.
A” PAINFUL, DIFFICULT” PROCESS
In the long run, Mr. Anwar has endorsed his Madani model as the basis for a Malaysia that, among other fundamental principles, includes diversity and value for all. He has also stated his determination to moderate Islamic principles.
Mr. Anwar has usually interacted primarily with conservative Muslim scholars, but he excels at listening to others from all walks of the spectrum, including those who are more democratic, according to Professor Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid, who conducts research on political Islam and Islamist motions at Universiti Sains Malaysia.
However, Prof. Ahmad Fauzi believes that the prime minister will have to take immediate action to stop what he calls the” Islamization” of Malaysia, which has occurred for the past 40 years primarily as a result of a more traditional Islamic education being taught in schools.
” It’s going to be a really painful and difficult approach because even within the creation, there are already people who are very supportive of this traditional pattern,” said Prof. Ahmad Fauzi.
You have an equal number of people ( who support it ) in institutions, established institutions, and government agencies, according to the statement.
The professor claimed that the trend has resulted in people becoming overly sensitive to issues that do n’t actually threaten Islam, leading to incidents that put the nation” slippery slope” to violence.
” A lot of these situations are also non- violent fanaticism, but there’s a thin line separating harsh and no- violent extremism”, he said. ” When we see stores getting diesel bombed and so on, that’s now murder”.
Ms. Afra claimed that there has been a long history of this kind of “paranoia” involving counts of Islam in Malaysia, and that more needs to be done to stop loud voices that attempt to politicize faith.
” Authority figures, be it the muftis, spiritual preachers, religious teachers, politicians, and even the princes and religious authorities in each state, should put in more effort to quell such accents and to warn the public about the consequences of politicising religion”, she said.
” Discurssions that place an emphasis on rational thought, the importance of social harmony, upholding the rule of law, and understanding the essence of religion should also be given greater space,” according to the statement.