Terengganu Muslim youth: A curious enigma

New kids on the block: Terengganu youth have changed, they are not like their forefathers who were regarded as village despots, says the writer. — Filepic/The Star

AS part of a study on Malay youth and democracy in Peninsular Malaysia, the team at Iman Research went to the East Coast recently, to Terengganu to be precise. The East Coast of the peninsula remains an enigma to those outside Terengganu and Kelantan trying to understand the political force that is Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS). Terengganu especially is renowned for its food, culture and splendid beaches, and, of course, its oil that has enriched the country.

As a think tank focusing on security and peace-building, Iman Research has worked on refugees and their vulnerability to violet extremism, exodus of youth from the Deep South of Thailand, and Malaysian youth and violent extremism.