Page 47 - Conflict, Terrorism, and the Media In Asia

36 Benjamin Cole
these issues. Mahatir argued that

The situation in the Middle East remains of great concern to all of us. At the
root of this is the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Venting our anger by simply
killing people as is done by both sides will solve nothing. We need to know
our strengths and strategise so that every sacrifice will contribute towards our
ultimate success. The US-engineered road map for solving the Palestinian
problem would have had a better chance of success if Iraq had not been
invaded. As it is, there is now an Iraqi insurgency in addition to the Palestinian
problem. And terrorism still threatens the world.
(New Straits Times 2003d)

The third policy is the rejection of violence as a means of redressing the problems
facing Islam. This is pursued at a theological level by publicizing the peaceful
aspects of Islam and the damage that is being done by its violent image in the
wider world. The following statements give a flavour of the sort of messages that
are regularly repeated: ‘The fundamental of Islamic teaching is peace, modera-
tion, honesty, integrity and being friendly to others’ (Bernama 2003a); ‘there are
groups of Muslims who have hijacked Islam and its teachings to support terror-
ism activities’; and ‘We cannot accept Islamic extremism even if it is based on
Islam because it is not the teachings of Islam’ (Bernama 2003b).
The fourth and final element of the strategy is the presentation of an alternative
vision for confronting the perceived threats to Islam that focuses on moderniza-
tion and unity within the Muslim world and Malaysia itself. In presenting this
vision the government co-opts the rhetoric of the Islamists – for example in terms
of ‘defending the faith’, ‘restoring honour and respect for Islam’, and restoring
‘the past glory of the Islamic civilisation’ (Bernama 2003a,b). Mahatir made this
one of the driving forces of Malaysian foreign policy. He argued that

We can no longer stay disunited if we do not want to fall one by one. Muslims
must acquire information, knowledge and technology and keep abreast with
developments in the Western world. Malaysia strongly believes that with
financial wealth and natural resources at our disposal, Muslim countries can
become strong if we manage our internal affairs well.
(New Straits Times 2003d)

The government’s vision for a peaceful and prosperous future is also heavily
based on maintaining national unity within Malaysia itself (Bernama 2002a).
Developments which threaten this harmony are strongly criticized. For example,
the letters section of The Sun, which is the largest Chinese daily newspaper,
carried a letter which argued strongly against voting for PAS during the 2004
elections because of the perceived threat which the introduction of Sharia law
posed to national harmony (The Sun 2004). Whilst the Chinese and Indian com-
munities readily buy into this vision, the problem for the government lies with