Malaysia has long been viewed as model for a moderate and tolerantIslamic state. Now that image is being challenged by Muslimfundamentalists who have staged protests and enforced harsh penaltiesfor what they say are breaches of the Islamic law.
Nazarudin Kamaruddin has become the latest Muslim to be ordered caned and jailed drinking alcohol in Malaysia.
Hissentence follows a decision by authorities to review the punishmentimposed on a Malaysian model who also drank beer. The review haspostponed the sentence an Islamic court imposed on Kartika Sari DewiShukarno, the first woman in Malaysia to face caning.
Islamforbids the consumption of alcohol but in Malaysia, only three out of13 states make it a punishable offense for Muslims. The recent attemptsto administer the cane have prompted moderates to call for an end tothat punishment.
About 60 percent of Malaysia's 28 millionpeople are Muslims. They are subject to Sharia laws, while secular lawsgovern ethnic Chinese, Indians and other minorities.
MostMuslims in Malaysia are moderates, but in recent years, religiousparties have gained influence. And the Sharia courts have become moreassertive. As result, there have been more incidents in whichgovernment action has come in conflict with Malaysia's moderatereputation.
Nick Lawes is a Malaysian businessman. He notesthat religious fundamentalism has influenced politics in manycountries, including the United States, and says Malaysia, a youngdemocracy, has made great strides as a pluralistic society.
"Butif Malaysia wants to forge ahead then it has to learn to cope withthese fundamentalists. I think it's such a pity that such a smallminority could spoil it for Malaysia," he said.
Politicalanalysts in Malaysia say there is a growing conflict between moderateand conservative Muslims in the country, including many occupyingpositions in the government and judiciary.
The conflict worriesminority groups, who fear they are threatened. There have been severalrecent cases in which non-Muslims complained that Sharia courtsdiscriminated against them.
More concerning, many Malaysianssay, have been public acts aimed at creating discord. Malaysians of allbackgrounds were shocked when 50 Muslims recently took the bloodiedhead of a severed cow to the central Selangor state government officeand trampled on it.
The protesters said they opposed the relocation of a Hindu temple to a Muslim-majority neighborhood.
"Thesepeople are allowed to walk around with the severed head of a cow whichis a sacred animal to the Hindus and the police allowed it to happen.This is something very surprising," says Ansari Abdula, an official ofthe opposition PKR party.
The government itself sends mixedsignals; it backed down after it tried to ban Muslims from attending arock concert because it was sponsored by a beer company.
Americanpop stars Beyonce, Rihanna, Gwen Stefani and Avril Lavigne have allbeen instructed to tone down any provocative performances here. Otherinternational performers have shunned Malaysia all together; Beyoncecanceled a concert in 2007, but recently announced she would perform inMalaysia next month.
Prime Minister Najib Razak has gone togreat lengths to promote unity since taking office in April,particularly through his heavily promoted One Malaysia campaign.
However,critics such as Abdula say the make-up of the Barisan Nasional, thecoalition that governs Malaysia, is part of the problem. The coalitionparties are divided along religious and ethnic lines.
Abdula says this has resulted in middle-ranking politicians fueling extremism in return for votes in Muslim-dominated districts.
This concerns Abdula, who says it goes beyond trying to gain political power by dividing the public.
"Wehave been taught as a Muslim, that you know you should respect you knowother religions. You should respect the gods that have been worshippedby other people so that they will return their respect. The moment youput down somebody's respect or religion then they will retaliate," saysAbdula.
His sentiments are echoed by Patrick Sindu, who as ajustice of the peace, an independent ombudsman and a consumer advocate,is deeply concerned that Islamic extremism is frightening others intosubmission.
He says non-Muslim Malaysians see migration as apossible way out, with many leaving for the United States, Australia,Canada and Europe.
As a grandfather whose family members includeCatholics and Muslims, he says it is important for madrassahs to preacha moderate brand of Islam, and that people need to focus on theirtraditional ties to the land and their families.