Wednesday 17 August 2016

The Arabization of the Malay Culture

Perhaps it's just me, but it feels like in recent times we Malaysians have become a lot more Arabized. The increasing religiosity seems to have blurred its lines between Islam as a religion of love and peace, and is starting to go down the similar fanaticism of the Catholics back in the 1800s. 

Perhaps it's just the small things, but...

I don't remember when people started debating about the way to spell insyallah.

I don't remember when people started to emulate the the words and traditions of the Arab nations, in a way that seemed to supersede and deemed superior to our own Malay traditions. 

I don't remember at what point people became so fearful and so particular about food outlets having the halal certification, or the widespread paranoia of hidden porcine elements even within the smallest of components.

Perhaps these practices have been here all the while, but perhaps the ease of information spread has made things more apparent to the public.

It is easier for fanatics to jump on the bandwagon of uncertainties without looking at the bigger picture.

It is easier for those who are seeking information to be swayed by the intensity of others.

It is easier to tap into groups of zealots, and be swept up in religious intensity, as evidenced by the numbers of people who have swarmed to join cults like ISIS.

I don't know, but I pray that this isn't the start of something darker.

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