Controversial NGO Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) is increasingly in the limelight, especially after its labelling of the country's minorities, which includes unsavoury terms such as "pendatang" (immigrants) and "penceroboh" (intruders).
However, if one were to meet its president Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman, few would believe someone with such a gentlemanly demeanour is capable of his NGO's unflattering description of fellow Malaysians.
With Abdullah Zaik's ever-wide smile and soft-spoken nature, he does not immediately come across as a firebrand who considers non-Malays and non-Muslims as enemies of Islam.
Even at press conferences, he deals with questions calmly even when answering tough ones.
Abdullah Zaik first gained public attention when he unveiled several candidates to contest in the 13th General Election on behalf of Isma using Berjasa's ticket - all of whom lost.
However, he is better known for his hardline stance on matters concerning race and religion, which has generated controversies.
Abdullah Zaik's thoughts can be best understood from a book he penned two years ago, entitled ‘30 Soal Jawab Melayu Sepakat Islam Berdaulat’ and published by Isma.
The glossy and hardcover book is intended to elaborate on Isma's agenda that is summed up as "Malays stand united, Islam reigns supreme".
His writings in the book, among others, touches on Malay Muslim leaders' entitlement to lead in multiracial Malaysia.
"As a Muslim, believing that one is more rightful and better qualified to lead in Malaysia is a stance that is consistent with Islam's view," he said.
Only Malay Muslims can lead
He argued that Muslims are allowed by Islam to supersede people of other faiths in terms of leadership and are appointed by Allah to lead other races.
However, he is of the opinion that it is "not reasonable" for non-Malay Muslims to lead Malay Muslims.
He came to this conclusion based on the size of the Chinese and Indian Muslims population which only numbers less than 200,000 compared to the tens of millions of Malay Muslims in Malaysia.
"If he (non-Malay Muslims) is a Muslim, he has the right to become a leader. However, in terms of reality, it is not reasonable if he becomes a leader to the Malays," said Abdullah Zaik.
Among the key points of his book include:
In the 64-page book, Abdullah Zaik repeatedly stressed that Isma was not a partisan movement.
Though notably, the book contained photographs of him with several Umno leaders and none from the other side of the divide.
In fact, the forward of the book was written by Deputy Prime Minister and deputy Umno president Muhyiddin Yassin and ‘30 Soal Jawab’ was launched by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Baharom.
The book displays Isma's pro-Malay stance which differs from other Islamists fundamentalists who do not normally focus on race.
Abdullah Zaik claimed that Islamic scholar Ibnu Khaldun was of the view that the "spirit of asabiyyah" (tribalism) is a source of strength and political power throughout history.
He added Ibnu Khaldun's study of the hadith found that Prophet Muhammad was pro-asabiyyah when insisting that leaders must come from the Quraisy tribe.
This was the answer to questions raised early on in the book, namely: "What are the Islamic arguments about ‘dakwah’ (missionary work) and the effort to racial unity?" and "How about the struggle for race, which is said to be asabiyyah and forbidden by Islam?"
However, he does not mention an oft-cited hadith where the prophet speaks against the practice: "He is not one of us who calls for asabiyyah, or who fights for asabiyyah or who dies for asabiyyah."
Abdullah Zaik's roots
A cursory glance into Abdullah Zaik's background sheds little light on how he developed his pro-Malay stance and the notion that the prophet was in favour of asabiyyah.
Abdullah Zaik was born and bred in the Malay heartlands of Terengganu, having his beginnings in Besut before moving to Jertih. He received his early education at Sekolah Menengah Ugama Sultan Zainal Abidin, a famed religious school.
The school has produced prominent political figures, but the big names who spent their teens there developed opposing worldviews and chose differing political paths.
Among them were former Terengganu Menteri Besar wan Mokhtar Wan Ahmad and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.
After his secondary education, Abdullah Zaik studied in the field of syariah at the world's oldest Islamic education institution, the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt.
Upon his return as a religious scholar (ustaz), he resided in Bandar Baru Bangi, a Malay-majority urban centre.
These were the formative years of the man who has emerged as a champion of the ultra-conservative movement and a lightning rod for progressives in the country.
However, if one were to meet its president Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman, few would believe someone with such a gentlemanly demeanour is capable of his NGO's unflattering description of fellow Malaysians.
With Abdullah Zaik's ever-wide smile and soft-spoken nature, he does not immediately come across as a firebrand who considers non-Malays and non-Muslims as enemies of Islam.
Even at press conferences, he deals with questions calmly even when answering tough ones.
Abdullah Zaik first gained public attention when he unveiled several candidates to contest in the 13th General Election on behalf of Isma using Berjasa's ticket - all of whom lost.However, he is better known for his hardline stance on matters concerning race and religion, which has generated controversies.
Abdullah Zaik's thoughts can be best understood from a book he penned two years ago, entitled ‘30 Soal Jawab Melayu Sepakat Islam Berdaulat’ and published by Isma.
The glossy and hardcover book is intended to elaborate on Isma's agenda that is summed up as "Malays stand united, Islam reigns supreme".
His writings in the book, among others, touches on Malay Muslim leaders' entitlement to lead in multiracial Malaysia.
"As a Muslim, believing that one is more rightful and better qualified to lead in Malaysia is a stance that is consistent with Islam's view," he said.
Only Malay Muslims can lead
He argued that Muslims are allowed by Islam to supersede people of other faiths in terms of leadership and are appointed by Allah to lead other races.
However, he is of the opinion that it is "not reasonable" for non-Malay Muslims to lead Malay Muslims.
He came to this conclusion based on the size of the Chinese and Indian Muslims population which only numbers less than 200,000 compared to the tens of millions of Malay Muslims in Malaysia.
"If he (non-Malay Muslims) is a Muslim, he has the right to become a leader. However, in terms of reality, it is not reasonable if he becomes a leader to the Malays," said Abdullah Zaik.
Among the key points of his book include:
- There is an "overdose" of tolerance taught in Malay education, when in fact, the Chinese and Indians are already ahead;
- Malays will lose political bargaining power if their leaders have different agendas as they will be divided;
- The national education system dilutes Malay identity while other races maintain their identity due to the existence of vernacular institutions;
- Chinese and Indians accept Malay leadership and culture, such as those in the east coast of peninsula but problems arise when they are agitated by "certain quarters"; and
- Even though Malay Muslims are the minority in Sabah and Sarawak, they still hold key positions there, which shows East Malaysians accept Malay leadership.
In the 64-page book, Abdullah Zaik repeatedly stressed that Isma was not a partisan movement.
Though notably, the book contained photographs of him with several Umno leaders and none from the other side of the divide.
In fact, the forward of the book was written by Deputy Prime Minister and deputy Umno president Muhyiddin Yassin and ‘30 Soal Jawab’ was launched by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Baharom.
The book displays Isma's pro-Malay stance which differs from other Islamists fundamentalists who do not normally focus on race.Abdullah Zaik claimed that Islamic scholar Ibnu Khaldun was of the view that the "spirit of asabiyyah" (tribalism) is a source of strength and political power throughout history.
He added Ibnu Khaldun's study of the hadith found that Prophet Muhammad was pro-asabiyyah when insisting that leaders must come from the Quraisy tribe.
This was the answer to questions raised early on in the book, namely: "What are the Islamic arguments about ‘dakwah’ (missionary work) and the effort to racial unity?" and "How about the struggle for race, which is said to be asabiyyah and forbidden by Islam?"
However, he does not mention an oft-cited hadith where the prophet speaks against the practice: "He is not one of us who calls for asabiyyah, or who fights for asabiyyah or who dies for asabiyyah."
Abdullah Zaik's roots
A cursory glance into Abdullah Zaik's background sheds little light on how he developed his pro-Malay stance and the notion that the prophet was in favour of asabiyyah.
Abdullah Zaik was born and bred in the Malay heartlands of Terengganu, having his beginnings in Besut before moving to Jertih. He received his early education at Sekolah Menengah Ugama Sultan Zainal Abidin, a famed religious school.
The school has produced prominent political figures, but the big names who spent their teens there developed opposing worldviews and chose differing political paths.Among them were former Terengganu Menteri Besar wan Mokhtar Wan Ahmad and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.
After his secondary education, Abdullah Zaik studied in the field of syariah at the world's oldest Islamic education institution, the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt.
Upon his return as a religious scholar (ustaz), he resided in Bandar Baru Bangi, a Malay-majority urban centre.
These were the formative years of the man who has emerged as a champion of the ultra-conservative movement and a lightning rod for progressives in the country.
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