Anwar’s ‘bridging’ skills put to the test as temperatures rise over race and religion in Malaysia

Recent controversies over socks with the word ‘Allah’ on them and national heritage highlight the divisions within government and broader society.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, with a two-thirds majority in Parliament, is not in danger of being unseated over these controversies. PHOTO: REUTERS
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Someone lobbed a petrol bomb at a KK Super Mart in Perak on March 26. Fortunately, it did not explode after landing on the walkway in front of the store.

Criminal Investigation Department director Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain was blunt when describing the stakes involved in the case. He said: “We don’t want to see another Kampung Medan (Indian-Malay riots in 2001) or other racial incidents in this country.”

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