Participants’ concerns and reluctance to speak out

Abstract

This chapter first outlines the various concerns expressed by the participants about the trajectory of the Islamisation Phenomenon and where it may lead, and the reasons they have for not speaking out about these concerns. Similar concerns expressed by a few public intellectuals are also included. Using published material and selected input from some of the participants it then explores the reality of the situation, to assess whether the participants’ fears about speaking out, and the trajectory of the Islamisation Phenomenon, are justified. The conclusion is that, while almost all of them believe that the Islamisation trend will continue, the majority do not believe that it will go so far as to become an Islamic State, primarily because of Malaysia’s large non-Muslim minority groups. However, the same majority do not discount the possibility that it could happen, and this is of great concern to them, particularly the non-Muslim groups. The chapter also explores the extent to which the participants’ fears, on both issues, were justified. The conclusion is that the concerns about speaking up have real foundation, and that there appear to be some indicators that suggest there is a real likelihood that Islamisation in Malaysia will proceed considerably further down the path towards greater conservatism.