“They (PAS Youth) were having their jamboree, their private event for the party. It’s like a cosplay event, just dramatising a historical period,” - Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal
A few points about the Bersatu Youth chief’s comments that opened this piece. First, if this was a private event, why did PAS broadcast that specific event on social media? Two, why is cosplay suddenly acceptable to PAS? And three, which era of Malaysian history was PAS dramatising?
Look, the reason why non-Malays and non-Muslims are uneasy is because these are the types of viral videos that terrorist organisations put out to radicalise the younger generation and intimidate their enemies.
It has gotten so rampant that social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube routinely scrub such videos from their platforms but these organisations use other forms of social messaging apps to upload videos exactly like the kind that PAS offered up.
Various think tanks and intelligence services all over the world, including the Middle East, have warned that such videos are extremely effective in radicalising young people, especially young males.
This is why when we hear of young Malaysians going off to fight alongside their religious brethren in foreign lands, they are encouraged to make videos of their escapades, even though the reality they discover is much worse.
What we are talking about here is radicalisation. Talking about the glory of conquest and hegemony to young people who feel abandoned by the system is a way to entice disenfranchised youths to whatever banner promises them glory in servitude.
This is why organisations like the Islamic State and various other terrorist groups use such methods. Not to mention right-wing or racist militias all over the world.
PAS knew what it was doing
The real history of PAS is that of a left-leaning political organisation that counted many influential post-Merdeka thinkers. It was the religiosity of the Ulama Council that supplanted these personalities and bathed the party in the kind of Arabism and post-Iranian Revolution extremism that found a foothold in the way how the old maverick ran this country.
PAS knows what it did was antagonistic and provocative. They know that this causes unease amongst the non-Muslims in this country. PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang was apparently there and here is a man who thinks that the non-Muslims have to be “pak turut” and this fits neatly into the symbolism of armed young Malay men marching on Malaysian soil.
As of writing, Hadi has not made any public statements. Why? Because he knows that this is a good thing. PAS gets to thumb its nose to the state security apparatus. PAS gets to thumb its nose to the non-Malay/Muslim power structures. PAS gets to thumb its nose at conventional politics. This is what young disenfranchised people want to see.
What did Hadi’s son say? Well, he thanked the police for the kind treatment accorded to them. Well yes, if the non-Muslims had such a parade, I doubt very much that they would receive kind treatment from the state security apparatus.
Remember when the Bersih march was termed Chinese provocation by the Malay uber alles crowd? Or when Khairy led the infamous red shirt rally?
More shrewd than you think
PAS thrives on this kind of publicity. They understand their audience. They understand how young people have been indoctrinated by the vast religious bureaucracy. But most importantly, they understand how to use social media.
Remember when PAS’ Permatang Pauh MP Muhammad Fawwaz Mohamad Jan decided that Muslims needed to be protected from the sale of alcohol? He promoted his agenda using TikTok.
Watch the video carefully. You will see the kind of symbolism and music that demonstrates that his religion is on the move. Furthermore, do you think that these videos were only meant for local audiences?
This is a worldwide phenomenon. Young people are interested in this sort of thing and take great interest in what happens to their religious brethren in different parts of the world.
Keep in mind - for better or worse - Hadi, the de facto opposition leader of this country, has a worldwide public profile amongst people who believe that he is the face of Islam in Southeast Asia.
Of course, the response by the top brass of PAS has been comical. PAS made a false equivalency between Chinese opera and this parade, and the reason why they did this is that they knew that their audience will buy these false equivalencies.
They will see it as another way that their culture is being “attacked”. They may even think that people who are opposed to this are Islamophobic.
Then of course there is the “cosplay” analogy, which is downright hilarious. I mean does PAS really want people to compare their historic roleplayers to anime characters? What would the other religious extremists in other parts of the world think?
No mere joke
People may joke about this but this is serious business. The people who think what PAS is doing is kosher are not going to find anything funny in the Chinese opera and cosplay rationale. They will see it as just another attempt by non-Muslims to stop an Islamic ascendancy.
Some religious operatives and political hacks have made noise that this is no big deal but what is really important is how Perikatan Nasional deals with economic issues. They murmur about the costs of living and how the country is going down the crapper now that Anwar Ibrahim is the prime minister. PAS, of course, is not really interested in any of that.
Keep in mind that while this may have gone on before, it has added significance now because PAS is the major player in the opposition. In fact, the best thing to happen to PAS is that they could not form a government.
Why? Because they have even more time to build their brand. And who knows, it may be easier to browbeat the pusillanimous in the government to get their Islamic agenda through.
Terengganu Pakatan Harapan chairperson Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah Raja Ahmad asked “What is (PAS’) intention in displaying preparedness for war in the public?”
What did you think PAS was attempting to tell young disenfranchised youths with this parade?
The message is, “come join the winning team.” - Mkini
S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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