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.

With this research project, we wanted to talk to young Malay-Muslim youth about what they think of the state of governance in the country and how they feel about Malaysia’s future, as well as why they voted for a certain party.

The Terengganu fieldwork explored the dynamics of new politics in PAS, and how it has taken over the state. It’s a fascinating study of how the youth have changed and matured politically, unlike their forefathers who were regarded as village despots.

The participants were part of the Islamist network active on the East Coast and active members of organisations such as PAS and NGOs. Most of the participants were male, and we applied snowball sampling as a research methodology. They had to be: 1) tertiary-level educated, ie studying in university or a graduate; 2) had religious education when they were younger; and 3) lived in urban areas, although some were from rural or suburban areas.

Many of the participants were exposed to Islamism during their secondary school years, around Form Three to Form Five, and this exposure came from their religious teachers.

They were involved in university Muslim student movements, mainly those affiliated with PAS. All of them, even those who were sympathetic towards Umno and Pakatan Harapan, believe Islam is a deeply embedded part of public and private life. They also believe that Islamic principles must guide politics. Islam is life, they stressed.

Barisan Nasional and PAS members trying to attract voters outside a polling station in Kuala Terengganu on election day last month. — Bernama

Unlike their fathers, uncles, and the older generation of PAS members of yore, these young Muslims were more attuned to politics and less sentiment driven. Many of the participants interviewed had completed tertiary education, spoke English well and worked as professionals. If before, such professionals were quiet about their political affiliation, our participants were out and proud about their affiliation with PAS.

And PAS, whether one likes them or not, has gained the confidence among the youth in the state because they offered many professional candidates (ie white-collar, such as medical doctors and engineers) along with ulama.

No longer do the youth have to contend with firebrand clerics who shouted from the pulpits of mosques, claiming hell fire will rain on the locals if they didn’t vote for PAS.

(Rusila, a picturesque village in Terengganu and also PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang’s epicentre of Muslim-politik, had fiery usrahs and takbirs in the 1980s and 1990s. Those speeches either converted you to the Holy Ordain of PAS or deafened you for hours. They were that loud.)

PAS candidates were also considered “clean”, with no accusations of graft or corruption convictions. They were also attractive because of their professions, grasp of global politics and because they had some international elan.

They also believe in multiculturalism: The study participants had no problem with the Chin-ese community and felt that the East Coast Chinese community was fairly assimilated into the majoritarian (ie Malay) culture.

Study participants emphasised embracing diversity but stressed that other ethnicities need to assimilate. Look at Kampung Cina, Kuala Terengganu, and local heroes like Alex Lee of Terrapuri fame, who promotes traditional arts and culture, and Toh Puan Rosita Abdullah Lau, who has written two cookbooks that have received international coverage. They are proof that non-Malay locals can assimilate well with Muslims of Tereng-ganu.

In Malay-Muslim land, the above is a success.

PAS has certainly done their homework in fielding younger, current candidates who appealed to the masses in the last general and state elections. In their strategy to gain more followers, they knew they had to look beyond Islamism and address issues the rakyat faced, such as the increasing cost of living and devaluation of our currency.

Wages were low and did not reflect current lifestyle needs, and also there were little opportunities for youth to economically empower themselves. It is ironic that a resource-rich country like Malaysia is not able to maximise its potential and exploit it.

I had mentioned earlier that the people we met saw no problem with multiculturalism. In fact, during the discussions with Dr Mohd Al Adib Samuri, our lead investigator, they raised the issue of racial polarisation and the lack of interaction among the races. They discussed how non-Malays didn’t seem to want to assimilate and speak Bahasa Malaysia, and preferred attending vernacular schools.

How best could these issues be addressed then? With no unity and national identity, the country would sink.

Sounds very much like the liberals too, yes?

As we go over the findings which will be published in a brief in the near future, we realise that the grouses PAS is now challenging are the same complaints the rest of Peninsular Malaysia share. It’s a national problem, and PAS and the coalition it is a part of, Perikatan Nasional, claim they are going to solve it.

The young will rule the earth, and for the Islamist professionals concerned about the country, Islam is the answer. As they strongly believe, why not? Not only is it a way of life, it encompasses everything such as diversity, unity, economic progress and justice.

Dina Zaman is co-founder of Iman Research, a think tank studying society, religion and perception. The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.