SCENESETTER FOR VISIT TO MALAYSIA BY SPECIAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000981

SIPDIS

FOR EAP/MTS AND S/SRMC PLEASE PASS TO FARAH PANDITH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/08/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV MY
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR VISIT TO MALAYSIA BY SPECIAL
REPRESENTATIVE FOR MUSLIM COMMUNITIES FARAH PANDITH

Classified By: Political Counselor Brian D. McFeeters for reasons 1.4 b
and d.

Summary and Introduction
--------------


1. (C) Embassy Kuala Lumpur warmly welcomes your visit to
Malaysia. U.S.-Malaysia relations are changing across a wide
range of bilateral and multilateral settings. In his first
eight months in office, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has
demonstrated a more pragmatic and action-oriented approach
than his predecessor. Najib has explicitly endorsed
strengthened ties with the United States. The challenge is
for Malaysia to translate his words into deeds in priority
areas for us ranging from non-proliferation and contributions
to the effort in Afghanistan, to combating trafficking in
persons. Najib realizes Malaysia needs economic reforms to
stay competitive so he is pushing for increased economic
liberalization, but he faces the difficulty in separating
fundamental economic reform from concomitant political
loosening. Islamic influence in society is increasing at a
discernible pace, but the scope and nature of change are less
visible. There is clearly a divide between less conservative
Muslims in urban areas and more conservative rural believers,
but it is hard to gauge the consequences in a dynamic, modern
economy like Malaysia's. The ruling party and its political
opposition are led by ethnic Malays who view the world
increasingly through the prism of Middle East politics,
albeit barely understood and therefore a dimly-lit prism, and
the influence of mainly Christian Eastern Malaysians as well
as secular or Buddhist Chinese and Hindu or Muslim Indians is
notable as well. In the wake of the President's Cairo
speech, your visit provides an excellent opportunity to
engage the Malaysian government and society on the
increasingly salient topic of the struggle of devout Muslims
who are contending with the forces of globalization in the
21st century world economy. END SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION.

The Broader Relationship in Context
--------------


2. (C) Robust trade and investment ties remain the solid
foundation of our relationship with Malaysia, our 18th
largest trading partner (bilateral trade totaled USD 44
billion in 2008). The GOM has been an important partner on
counterterrorism when it serves Malaysia's own security
interests, and we enjoy expanding law enforcement cooperation
as well as evolving military-to-military ties. Our
people-to-people ties build on decades of Malaysian students
studying in AMERICA (6,000 Malaysian students studied in the
U.S. during in 2008-2009). The emergence of new
administrations in both our countries has provided expanded
opportunities to pursue vigorous public outreach to
often-skeptical, but now more receptive, Muslim Malay
audiences. Malaysian officials have expressed interest in
playing a role in interfaith dialogue and may mention this
interest to you.

Islamic Drift?
--------------


3. (SBU) Embassy opposition and secular contacts are
concerned about signs that Malaysia is drifting away from its
historically moderate approach to Islam toward a more
conservative, less tolerant approach both within the Islamic
community and in relation to other religions. On the side
favoring increased Islamic influence, both legally and
politically, is a diffuse group: conservative Muslim clerics,
Syariah lawyers and judges, state religious departments, some
members of the Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS),the People's
Justice Party (PKR),and the ruling United Malays National
Organization (UMNO) and various Islamic NGOs including the
Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM).


4. (SBU) For example, after many years during which Syariah
laws such as those forbidding Muslims from drinking were on
the books in states but not enforced, these conservative
elements are seen as backing the caning sentence of a Muslim
woman, Kartika, for drinking beer at a hotel restaurant in
Pahang state. Another example was the November arrest by
religious authorities in the state of Selangor of a popular
Islamic cleric, formerly Mufti (chief cleric) of the state of
Perlis, known for his pluralist statements, for preaching
Islam without a permit. Sisters in Islam, a 30-year-old NGO
that has consistently spoken out for pluralist
interpretations of Islam, equality for women under Islamic
law, and against the dangers of ambiguous Syariah laws now
feels under threat because conservative Islamic NGOs have
lodged numerous police complaints against the organization,
resulting in a police investigation. (Note: you will meet

KUALA LUMP 00000981 002 OF 002


with leaders from the Sisters of Islam, an increasingly
important Embassy contact, early during your visit. End
Note.) Critics of this perceived "Islamic drift" see it
happening under the nose of Prime Minister Najib, who, they
say, lacks strong Islamic credentials, (unlike his
predecessor Abdullah Badawi),moral authority, or strong
interest (unlike former PM Mahathir, who kept conservative
Islamic elements in check) in Islam.


5. (SBU) Although the movement for more conservative (but not
radical) interpretation of Islam and more widespread
application of Syariah law is largely an intra-Islam
phenomenon, the ability to practice other religions freely --
a hallmark of Malaysia, where about 45 percent of the
population is non-Muslim -- has also been affected, though
still in ways that do not prevent the open pursuit of
religious practice with the notable exception of Judaism.
For example, the Cabinet and the National Fatwa Council ruled
in 1986 and reiterated in 2006 that only Muslims could use
the word "Allah", though it has long been used in Malay
translations of the Bible. The government and the Fatwa
Council claimed that the usage of the word "Allah" in Malay
language bibles could confuse and anger Muslims. The GOM
wants the Church to use the term "Tuhan", a generic Malay
term for God or Lord, instead of "Allah." The decision has
led the Home Ministry to reject a shipment of Malay language
bibles in November because they included "Allah." There have
also been complications when the husband in a marital dispute
converts to Islam, leading to automatic conversion of the
children and child custody for the father, an issue now being
addressed. In other words, many of the issues Muslims
elsewhere in Southeast Asia and in the Middle East are
contending with are resonant here as well.


6. (SBU) The Embassy is strengthening its close working
relationship with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, chairman of the
Cordoba Initiative, who promotes interfaith dialogue in
Malaysia and elsewhere which attract leading Islamic figures
from throughout the world. Kuala Lumpur was host recently to
a historic gathering of over 200 dynamic Muslim women
activists from around the world who had gathered in Kuala
Lumpur for the Cordoba Initiative,s Women,s Islamic
Initiative in Spirituality and Equality (WISE) conference
entitled "Muslim Women: Building Institutions, Creating
Change" conference. WISE founder, and Imam Feisal,s
spouse, Daisy Khan, saw the conference as an opportunity to
build on the change President Obama highlighted in his speech
in Cairo. The goal of the conference was to build a network
of Muslim women to challenge the distorted interpretations of
Islam and increase the social-economic self-determination of
Muslim women worldwide.

The Status of Women
--------------


7. (SBU) Another relevant issue is the status of women in
Malaysia. Women's Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil has called
for placing more women in decision-making positions. She has
identified four major adversities facing women in Malaysia
today: the repercussions of the recession; work-life balance;
the gender gap; and violence against women. Shahrizat's
Deputy, Chew Mei Fun, told the media on November 26 that
women still faced discrimination in Malaysia and cited
increasing domestic violence (3,769 reported incidents in
2008) and rape cases. Women, especially in the poorest
states of Kelantan and Terengganu, face disproportionately
high rates of poverty and lack access to health care.
Despite these problems, women in Malaysia have made
significant progress toward gender equality, not facing the
kind of wholesale economic and social discrimination against
women found in some predominantly Muslim countries. The GOM
has ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination Against Women and Malaysia's
five-year development plans have included sections on the
advancement of women. There are 23 women Members of
Parliament, about 10 percent of the total (222),and 17 out
of 68 Senators are women, while only two of 32 Cabinet
Members are women. NGOs claim that women face de facto job
and salary discrimination in Malaysia. Melanne Verveer, the
Department's Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's issues,
recently met with GOM officials and NGOs during a visit here
from December 3-4 (septel).
KEITH