.................continued from part 25
ISLAM VERSUS NATIONALISM
The slightest of all excuses would ignite reprisals of terror. The abortive coup d' etat of Communist Party of Indonesia in 1965 set the Indonesian nationalists on warpath and the Chinese Indonesians were the receipients of aggression on unprecendented scale. In Malaysia, in May 1969, some people were foolish enough to introduce a glowing splinter into the highly flammable gas of Malay nationalism that set the explosion of the country's worst racial riot. Uganda saw Idi Amin's ejection of Pakistanis and Indians by the thousands in 1976.
When the nationalists finally learnt the hard way that turning their aggression to other races of their country is harmful to the country's well being, they have to create other enemies in order to keep the wheels turning. In this respect, they found a new haven. There is a perpetual enemy that will generate enough fuel to keep the feeling grinding for centuries. This enemy is Islam.
Arab nationalism is in constant war with Islamic movements ever since the creation of Arab nation-states. We have witnessed killings, kidnappings, massacres, genocides, etc; you name it, they have it. These are atrocities perpetrated against Islam. In the Malay world, wwe witnessed the massacres in Tanjung Periuk (1985), Memali (1985), Malaysia; Taling Sari, Sumatra (1989), Acheh, Sumatra (1991).
In Malaysia, prior to the 2004 general election, the government controlled media played slanderous propaganda campaign to tarnish the image of the Islamic Party of Malaysia non stop for months. Video clips of doctored so called acts of aggression were put on show on Malaysian television channels over and over again. The aim was simply to scare the population from Islam, and from those who champion the cause of Islam.
The nationalists were successful that time around.
.....................to be continued
