Very interesting. Now we know the real reason why Anwar got himself into strife with the former PM of Malaysia: he was/is too sensible and and too worldly for that stubborn old mule.

Anwar seems to fit the category of 'nice bloke' much more than Dr Mahathir, but not quite as much as Dr Badawi the current PM.
Anwars wife is pure gold.. a beatiful person.

Their problems are malaysian politics. There is a policy of 'keep you friends close, but your enemies closer, until you can dispose of them' ... I've watched it take its toll on various high profile identities over the years.
Anwar was from PAS party, the arch enemy of UMNO (Mahathirs) and his inclusion into the government originally was simply to defuse the opposition.

The particular problem with Malaysian politics is the usual one..'greed' and lust for power.

The way it works is 'Policially powerful Malays' in cahouts with 'Economically powerful and experienced Chinese'. The rest is spin aimed at making everyone think they are getting their slice of the national cake.

The reality is quite different. East Malaysian politics is the politics of resource allocation to political figures. Timber concessions, and more recently Oil Palm concessions, (on land denuded by intensive logging)

The saddest part of it all to me, is that the 'nobility' among the indigenous people are as much in cahoots with the Malays(Muslims) as the Chinese and that includes those of my own wifes group. The power mongers always reward those who help them, but often it is token.

I don't see much value in trying to be a 'bridge' between Islam and the West, "Islam" at its heart is simply not open to bridges, while many Muslims may be. The best we can expect is they have their places and we have ours and we live in peace and trade as far as possible.

Of course it might be valid to recognize similarities between Shaekespeare or his characters and Islamic values, but ....so what ?
That won't change 'The world and all that is in it belongs to Allah and his Messenger'..... Or.. closer to home "Truth is not a defense" in the case of so called vilification.

Good article Irfan,

Boaz you quoted:
"Islam" at its heart is simply not open to bridges, while many Muslims may be.

Co-existence and acceptance is an individual choice. There is no inherent conflicts between cultures or religions but individuals and groups choices can create conflicts.

Hitler's biography shows he is a devout practising Christian yet not accepting others and murdering Jews was his personal choice and interpretations of christianity and not what most followers of the Christian faith would do or accept.

Although not positive, I am reasonably sure that Anwar used to be an Islamist and rose to fame as the disgustingly racist Dr. Mahatir's prodigy.

Doesn't anyone else see how outrageous it is that a nation like Malaysia, that calls itself a first world country, yet have ethnic tension and religious tension like every other Islamic nation?

Ethnic Malays are favoured under the law, the law! And we have Muslims here, who have equal rights under the law, complaining that they are picked on & singled out!

It seems that Muslims forget that the hell-holes they fled are notorious for racism, ethnic & religious intolerance.

Hindu's & Chinese have their own communities in Malaysia, although there are no real gains by supremacist Muslims yet. It appears that Anwar at least speaks out about these types, which is good.

In response to the logic of secular France banning the oppressive veil in their secular school system, Malaysia passed a law making all females, whether Muslim or not, have to wear the veil on university campus.

I don't believe societies that are so inherently racist that as to favour their own ethnicity over newcomers ought to be allowed in the UN. Then again, this is the nation that is about to have a government organised forum to get to the bottom of why so many Malays are so racist, brought about from the way they treat Indonesian maids, of which there are about 300,000 in the country.

It is common for maids to be bashed, sexually abused (I thought these things only happened in the west!) and not get paid.

A society only works on the good will of it's people, and they can't only care about their own ethnicity. This is the problem with Muslims in Australia. How many, even in Bankstown, which is dominated by Muslims, are in the fire brigade or police?

It's the same in Malaysia, somehow though, they don't have a large amount of Islamists who want to force their dogma down the Hindu's or Chinese throats.