wkp@lanl.ARPA (01/10/85)
[Donn Seeley writes:] >I seem to recall that there are more ethnic Chinese in Malaysia than >ethnic Malays Actually, according to the Encyclopedia Brittanica, only 33% of the population of Malaysia are ethnic Chinese. As a Malay national with a Chinese surname recently wrote to me (following the posting of my first article): "They [ethnic Chinese] are (still) about 40% of the population, which makes the injustice even more marked." If you don't believe the non-Muslim communities in these countries are under constant oppression, I advise you to read even the recent histories of Malaysia and Indonesia. [In the case of Indonesia, you can start with the anti-Chinese riots in Bandung in 1973; in Malaysia you can start with the Malay-Chinese riots of 1969 which were so severe that parliamentary rule was suspended for 21 months.] >The economies of the two countries are >controlled by rich Chinese in collaboration with members of politically >important native families. This statement is simply untrue; the Chinese are on the average more prosperous than the native peoples but in no way control the economies of these nations. These fictions are frequently put forward by Muslims as an excuse to oppress the Chinese; this is similar to many anti-Semites who claim the Jews control America (France, Germany), and thus are worthy of oppression. >It's true that there are radical Muslim fundamentalists in both >countries but they are definitely in the minority. The Encyclopedia Brittanica states "The Malays, virtually all of whom are Muslim, have been increasingly attracted to radical forms of Islam, thus further exacerbating racial tensions." >The 'Islam' practiced by the bulk of the >population bears about as much resemblance to the real thing as modern >Christianity does to BenDavid's N'tzarim. This is true in Indonesia, and less true in Malaysia, but still doesn't address the fact of why the Muslims in these countries continue to perpetrate brutal acts of violence against non-Muslim citizens. >(In my opinion, the religious climate in Iran and >Pakistan is much scarier than it is elsewhere in the Muslim world. Maybe you're right but that doesn't lessen the pain of East African blacks being murdered in their villages by Muslim extremists; nor does it help Christians in Lebanon or Jews in Iraq deal with their tormenters. I rest my case. ---- bill peter wkp@lanl.ARPA