An Islamic mass-based organisation established in 1971, ABIM started out in student and youth activism on Malaysia’s university campuses. ABIM quickly gained fame and expanded its members’ activities into the education and economic sectors, including lecturing at the International Islamic University of Malaysia. ABIM gradually moved into local and global humanitarian and charitable causes, and was a pioneer in promoting interfaith dialogue in Malaysia.
AN INSTRUMENTAL ALLY TO ANWAR IBRAHIM
ABIM was an instrumental ally to Anwar when he was part of then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad’s administration in the 1980s and 1990s. This was not surprising since Anwar was one of the founders and former leaders of ABIM.
In fact, ABIM activists spearheaded the Policy on Inculcating Islamic Values introduced by Mahathir at that time. ABIM was also seen as responsible for promoting the concept of “Madani” which Anwar first coined in 1997.
Unlike groups such as Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) which had direct links with the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), ABIM was known for utilising MB’s recruitment methods and activities to expand their membership, although they emphasised a Malaysian approach.
In her post on X (formerly Twitter) welcoming Zulkifli to the administration, Minister of Education Fadhlina Sidek stated that he has been her “source of reference” on various issues, adding that he is an authoritative and young intellectual. This is significant, given that Fadhlina is the daughter of the late Siddiq Fadzil, the great maestro of ABIM who served as its president from 1983 to 1991. He was famous among university students, cultural activists, educators and even clerics for his leadership style.