Malaysia’s Islamic Party (PAS), which has over one-million members, is at crossroads trying to strike a balance between keeping true to its Islamic principles and maintaining its support among non-Muslims. During the party’s three-day general assembly starting on June 7, the 2,000 attending delegates would discuss whether to recruit its non-Muslim supporters directly into the party as members with full rights, or keep a distance and treat them as non-voting, associate members. Support for PAS among non-Muslims has grown significantly with large numbers of Chinese and Indians joining its ranks. This is an unprecedented phenomenon where non-Muslims, who earlier shied away from the party because of its hard-line Islamist policies, are now supporting the party in large numbers. Not only have more than thousands of Chinese and Indians joined the party’s scores of Supporters Club, but they also enthusiastically carried party banners, openly campaigned for PAS and voted for it – all of which were evident in the recent Bukit Gantang by-election.
MALAYSIA’S ISLAMIC PARTY AT CROSSROADS
Malaysia’s Islamic Party (PAS), which has over one-million members, is at crossroads trying to strike a balance between keeping true to its Islamic principles and maintaining its support among non-Muslims.
