11.6% of Malaysian Muslims Believe Suicide Bombers are Martyrs

LIVING WITH DIVERSITY

By Patricia Martinez
Aug 31, 2006

Her survey between Dec. 15-18, 2005 was over 1,000 randomnly selected Malaysian Muslims was conducted across Peninsular Malaysia. Following excerpts:-

The result of the survey indicate that a majority of Malaysian Muslims in peninsular Malaysia are defined primarily by Islam rather than by their national identity as Malaysians, but are comfortable with living alongside people of other faiths. The results also confirm what has been described as growing orthodoxy.

For example, a majority feels that Shari'a Laws in Malaysia are not strict enough, and 57.3% want the Hudood to be implemented.

However, a majority 63.3% also opted for the Shari'a to remain as it is under the Constitution in Malaysia (the other answer-option given to the question was, "The Shari'a to replace the Constitution of Malaysia).

In terms of identity, when asked to choose which defined them most: being Malay, Muslim or Malaysia, 72.7% chose being Muslim as their primary identity.

As their second choice of identity, more respondents chose being Malaysian (14.4%) than being Malay (12.5%). When asked if they felt all three identities, 99.4% replied "yes".

In an effort to verify the answer to the question about which identity defined them the most, respondents were asked in a subsequent question to rank the components 'Malay, 'Muslim' and 'Malaysian" in importance. 79% of the respondents again ranked being Muslim first.

One interpretation of this result is heightened self-consciousness about being Muslim, since Islam dominates public discourse in Malaysia.

Another interpretation is that after 49 years of nationhood, Malaysians have adopted many aspects of Malay Culture - food, dress and language - thus blurring the boundaries that differentiate Malays from the rest of population.

Islam then becomes the defining element of Malay identity.

Therefore, since racial differentiation is politics, policy and fact of life in Malaysia, perhaps the mostly Malay respondents of the survey chose being Muslim as indicating the boundaries of their identity.

Another reason could also be the intense emotion that a love for one's religion evokes, hence identifying oneself primarily by that religion rather than by nationality or ethnicity.

Whatever the reasons, most of our policies and programmes on nation-building and unity focus largely on overcoming the schisms of ethnicity.

Perhaps we should note that it is not just race, which differentiates us as Malaysians, religion is clearly confirmed as a key factor.

However this does not mean that Muslim respondents chose being defined as Muslims rather as Malaysians, in order to be exclusive or seperate.

In response to the question "Is it acceptable for Malaysian Muslims to live alongside people of other religions?" a resounding 97.1% responded "yes".

In response to other questions, 79.5% responded that Malaysian Muslims should learn about other religions in Malaysia, 83.8% responded that Muslims could participate in interfaith dialogue, and 76% responded if there was an interfaith council in Malaysia, Islam should be part of that council.

Unique Nation

These findings indicate a greater level of acceptance of the reality of Malaysia's diversity than appears in current public discourse.

The responses can also be interpreted as a security and confidence that Malaysian Muslims have regarding their religious identity, and the innate tolerance and justice of Islam.

These results indicate also an outcome of the daily interaction of those ordinary Malaysians who are not cocooned in their chauffeured cars but who travel, study, shop and work alongside each other.

In other words, Malaysian Muslims are able to come to terms with what it actually means to live in a multi-religious nation, without detracting from their strong sense of identity as Muslims.

This is how Malaysia is unique among other Muslim nations, and why Malaysian Muslims are often described as moderate because of their successful negotiation of the racial and religious diversity that is their context.

It is a diversity that reflects the reality of an increasing globalised world with no nation able to claim that its population only comprises one racial or religious group, and with all of humanity having to find the skills and will to live together.

This pragmatic perspective about living in diversity also came through when 77.4% of the respondents said that Malaysians should be allowed to choose their religion.

However, it is significant that 97.7% chose "no" to the more specific question about whether Muslims should be allowed to change their religion.

One interpretation of this response is that the vast majority of Malaysian Muslims - over 97% - do not intend to apostasise, and that it is likely that they themselves, beyond laws and punitive measures, will work to keep their community together.

Other responses in the survey indicate that the strongest influence on them as Muslims are their parents (73%) with religious teachers coming in far second at 9.4% and religious lectures and sermons at 3.2%.

Ninety-three percent (93%) had heard about 'Islam Hadhari' (Civilisational Islam concept introduced by current Prime Minister), but only 53.3% were able to state that they understood what it was about.

A slim majority of only 53.7% correctly identified the Sultans as the heads of Islam in Malaysia, with over 40% describing either Mufti, the director of a state department for Islam, or the prime minister as the head of Islam.

Seventy-seven point three percent (77.3%) want stricter Shari'a laws in Malaysia, and 44.1% felt that the authority to monitor and and punish the moral behaviour of Muslims should be with state religious authorities, with the family coming second at 33.3%.

However, if these results depict conservative attitudes, it should be noted that 76.6% answered "Yes" to the question "In Islam, do men and women have equal rights?" with more men than women than women answering in the affirmative! But only a slim majority, 55.5%, stated that women can be Shari'a court judges.

Complex Attitudes

Finally, in term of suicide bombing, 62.1% choose the option "wrong action for Muslims", 11.6% choose "martyr", and a high percentage of 24.8% - chose the "don't know" response (which because of it's significant size, can be interpreted as respondents not being willing to state their point of view).

In term of asking about their feelings regarding the US, Europe and Australia, the options 'Like', 'Okay', 'Dislike' and 'Hate' were provided.

Thirty-nine percent (39%) chose 'hate' to describe their feelings towards the US, with 44.5% choosing 'dislike'. In other words, 83.5% of Malaysian Muslims in peninsular Malaysia have a negative attitude towards the US.

In terms of Europe, 18.8% chose 'hate' to describe their feelings, with 38.2% choosing 'dislike', so over 50% have negative attitude towards Europe.

However, 34.3% chose the option 'okay' for their feelings towards Europe, more than double the number who chose 'okay' (13.4%) to describe their feelings towards the USA.

Eighteen point three percent (18.3%) choose 'hate' to describe their feelings towards Australia, 36.6% chose 'Dislike' and 35.1% chose 'okay'.

It is significant that negativity defines Malaysian Muslims attitudes towards what constitutes "the West", and this finding is consonance with other global surveys on Muslim attitudes, such as those conducted by the Pew Research Center (which does not poll Malaysians although it has studies on Indonesia).

The survey result show the complexity of attitudes of Muslims in peninsular Malaysia, and how this complexity reflects their real engagement with various aspects of national life.

The results also discredit some of the assumptions and generalisations in public discourse about Malaysian Muslims. As such, claims about who Muslims in Malaysia are and what they want, feel or need, are sometimes exaggerations if not generalisations.

The results are mixed, neither confirming only moderation nor indicating overwhelming orthodoxy.

But what the survey results do confirm, hearteningly, is that Malaysian Muslims are able to live with the diversity that is Malaysia, and the reality that is our world.

Dr. Patricia Martinez is a Malaysian who is an Associate Professor at the Asia-Europe Institute of the University of Malaya. This is the original text from which The New Straits Times published an article on Aug 10, 2006.