Why #BlackLivesMatter By A Malay-Muslim

Black lives matter and let me tell you why. I’ve lived on both sides of the fence. I am a Malay-Muslim. I was born in Malaysia and lived there up till the age of twenty. In Malaysia, the Malay-Muslims are the dominant demographic. We are the equivalent of White people in the West. Although I have, thus far, lived the following twenty years of my life in the UK (I am forty now), I maintain close ties to Malaysia. I even regularly comment on her political developments. My column may be found here.

In Malaysia, a sizeable minority is relatively unsafe – the Malaysian Indian. They are not newcomers to the nation. Their forefathers came over a hundred years ago and they stood with the rest of us in the struggle for independence in 1957. They are legitimate citizens of the country. But Malaysia operates on a nefarious policy of institutionalized racism. The policy is called ‘ketuanan melayu’ (Malay dominance) which stipulates that Malays must be dominant people in the country. How exactly is not stated but the ruling coalition’s dominant party ensures that it is the main beneficiary of that policy. Hence, it is not beneficial for it to oppose racism towards the minorities.

The Malaysian Indian are not a totally marginalized people. They are visible in all aspects of Malaysian life and many of them are national figures. However, there still exists casual racism towards them as can be seen in the Malaysian media. Even in Malay language, the phrase ‘cakap keling’ (lit. ‘talk like an indian’) means to speak deceptively. The government has done nothing to reverse this situation as it presumably does not wish to alienate its Malay supporters by levelling the playing field. This is ironic because the same government loudly crows its Islamic identity but when it comes to racial equality (a cardinal Islamic principle), they remain deafeningly silent.

What is more worrying is the number of Indians who have died in police custody relative to other races. These deaths were violent and the pictures harrowing to see. Yet, no one has been brought to book for their deaths. The Malaysian Indian’s situation is very much like the Afro-American. They are treated with suspicion and maximum force seems to be extracted when dealing with them.

As a Muslim in the UK, I am of a minority. I am visibly Muslim, meaning I am of the race most likely to be Muslim (Sikhs are also, ironically, visibly similar and have suffered Islamophobic attacks). However in the UK, I have not experienced any kind of abuse by the police so far and I thank God for that. But there may come a time when people who are and even ‘look’ Muslim are treated with suspicion and dealt similar treatment. In fact, there are reports that terror suspects, no matter how innocent they may be, are treated the same. And so I understand the position that Afro-Americans are in. The feeling is that of alienation and disenfranchisement.

#BlackLivesMatter because right now, young Afro-American males are not treated with the neutrality which should be afforded to every citizen. The American police departments may vociferously deny this but that is the feeling on the ground. The protests we have seen thus far are a testament to this feeling. Hence it is the responsibility of the American government to allay these fears and to restore confidence in its public servants. Not doing so would simply further alienate this community and I am sure no one wants that.

As a Malay-Muslim, I have seen the feeling of disenfranchisement among my fellow Malaysians of the Indian extraction. They are subject to lesser treatment even by racist politicians (who tell them to ‘go home’ even though the politician themselves were more recent émigré). On top of that, if they are taken into custody, they worry for their lives. As a fellow human being, this pains me greatly. No government should treat its citizens in this way. The government is our representation, not our oppressors.

#BlackLivesMatter