Islamic Assault on Malaysia’s Higher Education By: Murray Hunter

The Brotherhood

When Maszlee Malik handed back Malaysia’s education portfolio after Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed fired him abruptly on January 2, he left behind a fifth column of Islamist activists embedded in the top echelons of the ministry and public universities, sources have told Asia Sentinel.

According to a former vice-chancellor who pointed out a list of at least 26 newly appointed vice chancellors and deputy vice chancellors, these appointments were not made on merit but rather on the basis of loyalty to Maszlee and Salafi preacher and Perlis Mufti – Muslim legal expert – Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin.

The Salafi movement is a revivalist crusade within Sunni Islam that developed in Egypt in the late 19th century as a response to Western European imperialism. If Maszlee had more time as minister of education, according to the source, both the ministry and almost every top position in Malaysia’s public universities would have been filled with members of an Islamic NGO dedicated to enhancing Islamic teachings and practices in daily life.

The NGO is Pertubuhan Ikram Malaysia, which is committed to promoting the interests of Islam through all aspects of society. Other organizations affiliated with Ikram are said to assist in this cause. Although Ikram has a respectable reputation within the Malaysian community, the leadership has been infiltrated by Salafi sympathizers pushing fringe ideas of Islam. Ikram strongly opposes Shia Islam, seeing it as deviant.

The NGO was also strongly opposed to the participation of two Israeli para-athletes in an international swimming competition last year in Sarawak, forcing the competition to be moved to another country, and objected strongly to the staging of a play, “Sex in Georgetown City” last year at the Performing Arts Center in Penang.

Read it all here at the Asian Sentinel.............