Correctly interpreting Dr M’s ‘Islamic country’ declaration of 2001

Hint: There are wheels turning within wheels. Can you see it?

1. On 29 Sept 2001, Dr Mahathir Mohamad famously declared:

“Umno wishes to state loudly that Malaysia is an Islamic country.  This is based on the opinion of ulamaks who had clarified what constituted as Islamic country.  [...] If Malaysia is not an Islamic country because it does not implement the hudud, then there are no Islamic countries in the world.”

2. Then on 17 June 2002, the prime minister went one up by stating that Malaysia is an Islamic fundamentalist country.

3. What is the implication of Dr M’s declarations?

Nyata DAP menolak sekularisme

DAP tidak anti-Islam. DAP sebenarnya adalah pro-Islam.

(Untuk baca rencana ini dalam bahasa Inggeris, sila klik ‘Absurd for DAP to claim that it supports secularism‘.)

Parti majmuk pembangkang tersebut nyata menolak sekularisme, sebuah konsep yang mengesampingkan peranan agama.

Absurd for DAP to claim that it supports secularism

DAP is not anti-Islam. DAP is actually pro-Islam.

(To read this article in Bahasa Melayu, please click ‘Nyata DAP menolak sekularisme‘.)

The multiracial opposition party expressly rejects secularism, a concept that de-emphasizes the role of religion.