Intra-Muslim Dialogue

The relations between Malaysia’s majority Muslim Malays and minority Chinese and Indians are deteriorating. According to Anwar Ibrahim “the worrying thing is the Muslims feel their position and their power, including the religious courts, are being eroded”. Meanwhile, “the non-Muslims feel that they are being marginalised and discriminated against”. Race relations have been strained but the government has banned activists from discussing religious rights and called on the media to stop highlighting race-related issues. The perceived Islamisation of Malaysia has come to an unhealthy stage.
The main intention of the forum, which was held on 17th December in PJ Hilton Hotel, was to form a consensus among all Muslim groups to accept the general principles of democracy and freedom. This includes, in particular, the Malaysian constitution as the binding contract of the Malaysian society.

The forum invited a divergent group of Muslim organisations. While some representatives of the Article 11 Initiative withdrew their participation for language reasons and some other organisational concerns, the Forum saw mainly the participation of interested individuals as well as some conservative and ultra-conservative groups. Among the participants were the leadership of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, leading representatives of the Muslim movement Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM), Jamaaha Islah Malaysia (JIM) as well as the non-governmental Muslim Professionals Forum and Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA (GMI).

Information about the outcomes of the Forum will be made available at a later date. Keep your eyes on this space!

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