Christmas in Malaysia

Justin Raimondo, of antiwar.com, has just written an excellent essay, entitled "Christmas in Malaysia." Raimondo writes about current events/politics, and every now and then he has written some line about Islam that has shown his ignorance. Otherwise, he is an excellent writer, and I've been reading his columns off-and-on for the past four years or so.

Raimondo was invited to speak recently at the Perdana Global Peace Forum in Kuala Lumpur (KL), and he initially showed his ignorance regarding Malaysia in particular and what life might be like in an Islamic country in general:

"To say that Malaysia is not what I imagined would be an understatement of epic proportions. Situated just south of Thailand, north of Indonesia, and quite close to the equator, the country describes itself as officially "Islamic," and this, at least in the minds of most Americans, means a stultifying uniformity, a monolithic apparatus of cultural and all too often political repression. It means women in burqas, gay people in hiding, and a society generally groaning under the weight of an enormous repression."

In other words, all the typical cliches that we've come to hate. But Raimondo has an open mind:

"I am now well into my second week of staying in Kuala Lumpur, at the fabulous Crowne Plaza Hotel, and it is clearer than ever that my prejudices were not only mistaken – they were and are the exact opposite of the truth. Malaysia is the virtual incarnation of religious and ethnic diversity, a veritable melting pot of racial and devotional groups that somehow manage to live in relative harmony far beyond anything I have seen even in that paradigmatic paragon of multiculturalism, California. Malays, Chinese, Indians, Arabs, and a generous smattering of Anglo expats swarm the streets of Kuala Lumpur, the biggest city in the country: yes, there is a Muslim majority, but non-Muslims are not subject to sharia law. Malay Muslims coexist with Chinese Catholics, and Buddhist priests roam the Bukhit Bintang plaza, begging, amidst crowds shopping for the latest fashions and punk rockers with pink hair stroll fearlessly down the street.

You never saw such diversity. And that's just during the daytime. At night…"

A little bit later, he writes:

"I have to say that I am… astonished by Malaysia. Here is an "Islamic" country where a gigantic Christmas tree sits in the lobby of the hotel I'm staying at, and the café waiters in the plaza a few blocks away are dressed like Santa's elves. Here is a city where the nightlife puts San Francisco's to shame. Where the city's oldest gay bar, the Blue Boy, makes Baghdad-by-the-Bay seem like a dive in Podunk, Idaho; where people party well into the morning light, and you can have a good time for a few ringgits (the Malay currency: around 30 cents). The food is fabulous: Malay (spicy, somewhat Thai-like), Arab (there's a great place right off Bukhit Bintang), Chinese (you haven't lived until you've sampled the pleasures of Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown), and too many more to go into here. The place is a gastrointestinal paradise!

"Modernity is juxtaposed next to traditionalism: on the one hand you have the soaring heights of the Petronas Twin Towers, the tallest buildings in the world, lit up like a vision of futurity against the night sky, and on the other hand you have women in traditional dress – colorful costumes of bright color and the requisite head covering – traversing its corridors. Two, three, many worlds coexisting: the past and the future converging into a new synthesis of creativity and entrepreneurial energy. The impression one gets is of a tremendous vitality, a restless yet directed life-force that seems to spring right out of the earth."

Raimondo even discovers that Malaysia's former Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Muhammad, isn't the person he thought he would be:

"I had some concerns about former Prime Minister Mahathir, but then I read this Paul Krugman column and my fears were somewhat allayed. Upon meeting Dr. Mahathir, whatever reservations remained were put completely to rest: the man seems to emanate benevolence and great gentleness, almost an aura of serenity, like some sort of Buddhist guru."

And so, I have some hope for Raimondo, that perhaps when he writes about Islam in the future, that he will remember his Malaysian experience and realize that his preconceived notions are not necessarily true...

Unfortunately, I don't have the same hope for most Americans, many of whom wallow in their ignorance regarding Islam and the Muslim world. But for those of you who can afford the trip, I would suggest that you come here to visit Malaysia and Singapore to see not only how Islam is lived by we Muslims, but to see how our two cultures can live harmoniously together despite the ethnic diversity (which, IMO, is much more diverse than most Western cultures).

On a personal note, I'd like to say that I can attest to most of what Raimondo wrote about Malaysia and Dr. Mahathir, that what he's written is true (except for the part on the gay bar - I have no idea about that ;) ). Malaysia's a great country, and I've enjoyed every one of my visits there (the most recent of which was just last weekend, when Milady and I drove up to the city of Melaka, along with some of her family). I've been to KL several times (one of which was for Milady's and my honeymoon), and it's a great city. You're missing out if you don't visit us here in Southeast Asia.

Side note: While you're at it, be sure to read Eric Garris' story about his return to the United States after going to the Perdana Global Peace Forum.