Ask any Malaysian about the event of September 11, he or she will never fail to highlight the sufferings of the Palestinians in the occupied territories by consciously drawing a direct parallel between the two seemingly close but unrelated events.

The cries of pain of innocent victims of September 11, helplessly caught under intense heat and their acute fear at the prospect of untimely deaths which came tragically with the collapse of the twin towers remained etched in the minds of many. But here, more often than not those heartwrenching moments of the victims fighting for their last gasp of life are glossed over with images of fallen victims - women, teenagers and children who died and were maimed due to the heavy shellings by Israeli helicopter gunships, tanks and the F16 jet fighters.

Not because there was little sympathy for those whose lives had perished in the tragic incident of September 11 by Al-Qaeda and the innocent Israeli civilians who died in the hands of Palestinian suicide bombers, but they feel that equal attention should be accorded to the Palestinians who also lost their lives in their campaign to free their land. Although aghast at such attacks which carried no justification whatsoever, Malaysians are quick to point out that the US must play a more active and assertive role in addressing the Palestinian issue or risk facing the grim prospect of another terrorist
attack.

As one painfully revisits the fateful day of September 11, Malaysians could still heave a sigh of relief that moderate voices still rule the day in the country. The majestic Petronas twin towers which has become the country's national pride and an important landmark would remain standing so long as rationality and moderation prevails in the country. Such values it seem could act as a buffer against possible aftershocks that could weaken the country's national foundation which has been tested time and again. Militant elements have been weeded out for now or are in the process of being obliterated.

Notwithstanding the fact that the moderates are taking charge of the country, the extremist elements or their sympathizers will not disappear completely and may spawn other groups harbouring militant objectives. The possibility of these groups striking back remains real like what had happened in the past.

The 1985 Memali incident which led to 14 civilians dead and the Grik arms heist which resulted in the deaths of two hostages are grim reminders of what could happen if the extremists are given the room to breathe and carry out their evil and misguided endeavours. Some would see them as just a fringe group which exists in all societies - a phenomenon that all governments will have to come to terms with. But sadly its just one too many as it requires only one person to inflict damage of unimaginable proportions and take the lives of hundreds, if not thousands by a single act of terror.

Just like Islam which has many different faces to it, Malaysians also are not one monolithic and homogeneuos community. What's worse is the differing interpretations of the religion, Islam, which has served to drive a wedge between the community and polarised it even further.

Among the Malays, the commonality of race is no longer able to pull the community together. Religious beliefs have assumed an added fervour and strength of late and those who do not follow strictly to a certain religious dogma will fall outside the religious circle, so to speak. The infuence from other Muslim countries, where thousands of Malaysians have turned to to increase and expand their Islamic religious knowledge, has drastically changed their worldview. And the responses to events differ according to one's religious convictions.

PAS's obsession with the Hudud law reflects its desire to revert to the more rigid interpretations of Islam which lays emphasis on Syariah laws and its applications. It views Islam as an all encompassing religion that covers social, economic and political life of its adherents. Students have been encouraged to acquire the traditional Islamic teachings to perpetuate its hold over the states that it governs.

Rather than taking practical steps forward, towards preparing the younger generations to face challenges of the new globalised world, many have decided to take a long step backward, 1400 years in fact, to realise the way Islam was purportedly practised then. The doors of ijtihad (reinterpretation) have remained closed despite the strong forces that come to knock some sense into the traditionalist thinking.

The reality in Malaysia or many other countries in the Muslim world is that, the greater the effort made to introduce a more liberal and modernistic system of life, the greater is the effort to pull them back as they're seen as moving away from Islam.

The process of Islamisation introduced by Dr Mahathir led administration was seen as a lip service and had allegedly done injustice to the true concept of Islam and the hardliners are clamouring for more. As a result, many of the rural folks are perpetually caught between the need to respond to new challenges and the duty to preserve their Islamic identity and religious pursuits in the way that they understand it.

Many still marvel at the achievements of Islam which pioneered several fields of knowledge during its glory days between 10th and 16th century and feel that the Quran provides the answer to all their quests while shunning other so-called worldly knowledge. As a result, many are trapped in a time continuum and remain forever stagnant.

The further they move back to history, the greater will be the suspicions against the Western or the Christian world and will see that the war of crusades is still being waged and will view Islam as being perpetually under threat of being destroyed and desecrated by the West. Rather than taking advantage of what the West could offer, many will see it with distrust.

Even though PAS is committed to a democratic process, there're those splinter groups who remain impatient to achieve the so-called the Islamic ideals and would want to grab power through unconstitutional means without even knowing how an Islamic country should be run as long as the hudud law is implemented and all western elements are washed away for good.

PAS may have lost support among the non-Malays as a result of the September 11 attacks, but its hardcore supporters among the rural Malay folks remain intact. The recent bi-election in Kedah bears testimony to this. To them their interpretations of Islam is more genuine and all encompassing compared to that professed by UMNO members. And thus anything that is genuine and real should take centre stage.

PAS has transformed itself into a formidable force and is growing in influence. But the question of whether extremist views will replace the voice of moderation in Malaysia in the near future remains farfetched and a distant possibility for now. But the continuing intellectual interface and the competing visions of Islam may produce groups who may be carried away by emotions and may cross the legal boundary in the name of Islam.

The majority of Malaysians and the leaders have spoken against terrorism and the
acts of terror but there're also those who live on the fringe of society who still espouse the idea of violence to eradicate the so-called injustice on earth and to ensure that the Islamic laws run supreme over what they see as secular and Western legal and political system. What's to come remains unknown but the country it seems is in a safer hand and the government is firmly in control of the situation. But many feel that as long as the Palestinian issue remains unresolved, there's always a cause for the so-called Islamists to brandish their sword against those who stand in their way.

Zainudin Afandi
Malaysia Bureau Chief
Channel NewsAsia