The Changing Face of Political Islam in Malaysia in the Era of Najib Razak, 2009–2013

Najib Razak’s tenure as Malaysia’s sixth prime minister has witnessed vigorous drives towards multiple visions of political Islam, orchestrated by different sets of Islamists in both overtly political groups and non-state activist clusters. While Islam has always been a pivotal factor in Malaysian politics, interpretations of Islam, concerning both doctrine and practice, have arisen among successive generations of Malaysian Muslims. Since the beginning of Najib Razak’s premiership, however, the initiative in defining the Islamic framework of the nation has, with ghastly consequences, been effectively delegated to the official Islamic bureaucracy, whose horizons are coloured by visions of Islamist uniformity rather than a religiously acceptable Muslim plurality. At the same time, the emergence of a range of civil-society actors has complicated the Islamist terrain. Najib faces a predicament in continuing Malaysia’s practice of pluralist politics whilst at the same time accommodating inclusive notions of Islam in his management of the body politic.