The Jekyll and Hyde morality of the Malays. Part 1 of 2.

1. How can we explain the dichotomy in the Malay mindset? It's a study in contradiction really.

2. On the one hand, the Malays manifest themselves as devout Muslims as though their religiosity is their true North but at the same time tolerate and excuse intrinsically  wrong  things like corruption.. abuse of power and even murder.

3. Stealing is not wrong unless you are  caught ignores the fact the act of stealing  is intrinsically wrong.  As lawyers say, its wrong ab ibnitio.

4. 'Unless you are caught' is the non-religious rationale for explaining away unspeakable  acts while superficial religiosity is the rationale to explain  away equally  unspeakable  behaviour.

5. Clearly  there is something  dysfunctional  in the non-religious  person and something fundamentally wrong  in the sham religiosity.

6. The Malay thinker Zaaba, alluded to this fact when  he said that one of the reasons explaining  the backwardness of the malays is their life practices  that have diverted far from the true teachings of Islam. 
He made the observation  in 1927.

7. As a result sad to say the Malays are long in form but short in substance. More emphasis  is placed on superficiality and symbolism.

8. This would explain why they build more mosques than schools  and hospitals, spend thousands  on sacrifices and pawn their socks off to go for pilgrimages.

9. But just as rigorously  they accept abuse of power, pillage by bosku and pooh poohed the murder of a Mongolian  woman saying  she deserved to die because  she is a prostitute.

10. How do you explain  2 opposites residing in the Malay  at the same time?  It is impossible  to become  2 extremes at the same time.

11. They appear to be devout -.are meticulous  on the food they eat but salivate at the prospects of sleeping with an ah moi.
How did the malays become  nang bohtee nang qui bohtee Qui?

12. One may attribute the double faced morality of the Malays to the role played by the middle class liberal Malays  most of whom are born again muslims.

13. Many have studied abroad  for their advanced  degrees, are repulsed by the immoralism of the west.  They readopted Islam  as a moral defence  but an Islam coloured by xenophobia.

14. They then  go back to this country continue to practise their brand of xenophobic Islam. They may teach at universities  and those who study at these universities  become enamoured with their lifestyle regarding them as better educated and therefore  enlightened.

15. Their brand of xenophobic Islam  holds contrarian views of Islam  propounded  by people like Zakir Naik, Habib Riziq and other militant Islamist  as iconic. I suspect they are averse to the views of the more orthodox  Islamist.

16. Their views  are  not pervasive.  They are just members of the chattering class or at best are  Hampstead liberals.  Outwardly  they denounced  the immoralism of the west but secretly partake in the lifestyle of the liberal west. As it suits them. 
And didn't the muftis  tell people to stay away from these liberal Malays  and not trust them?

17. This view on the role of liberal  Malays  may not be incorrect but I  have several factors to explain the Jekyll  and Hyde  morality of the  Malays.
That my friends  will be in part 2 of my article.