Friday sermon warns Muslims they face scorn after split votes in GE13

(TMI) - Muslims in Malaysia were told today that they were on the threshold of becoming a people who are scorned in their own country following the results of Election 2013, according to today’s Friday sermons prepared by federal Islamic religious authorities.

Barisan Nasional (BN) won the federal elections with less than half of the popular vote for the first time since 1969 when its main parties contested as the Alliance.

Analyses of voting suggest that BN won the largely rural vote while Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parties scored big in urban centres across all racial demographics.

PR parties also made rural inroads, but malapportionment of constituencies saw BN win the elections.

The inroads made by the opposition suggests a Malay shift to PR parties which appeared to have been alluded to in today’s Friday sermon uploaded onto the Islamic Development Department (JAKIM) website.

“Muslims are counting the days and are on the threshold to face the fate of becoming a people who are scorned in their own country.”

The sermon urged Muslims to stay united, and “not feel too comfortable in their own land, as heirs to this land.”

As the “majority race”, Muslims were told they could no longer depend on political power that was being eroded.

Muslims were asked in the sermon to learn from the unity of other communities “who are prepared to defend their honour and interests.”

Politics had crept into the government’s official sermons in recent months before last Sunday’s vote, with a noticeable bias for maintaining the political status quo.

Last month, Muslims were told to be loyal and grateful to the current leaders of the country, in a sermon that carried the same theme as BN’s political manifesto for Election 2013.

The sermon was entitled “Menepati Janji, Membawa Harapan (Fulfilling promises, carrying hope)”, which are the exact words used by BN for its manifesto.

But the sermon did not explicitly endorse any political party or leader.

In the aftermath of last Sunday’s vote, some Umno leaders have openly accused Chinese voters of going against a “Malay government” by largely backing PR parties.

But it has emerged that significant numbers of Malay-Muslims had also backed PR.