Malaysia’s Sock Scandal: The Sound of Silence

Malaysia is currently undergoing a severe heat wave. Scorching temperatures are sending people indoors to crank up their air conditioning and fans, but it is not only the air temperature that is on the rise. The heat around political and social issues has come dangerously close to a boiling point during the normally calm, quiet month of Ramadhan when Muslims fast and try to commit to deep reflection and self-improvement.

The present furore began with the discovery of socks bearing the word “Allah” being sold at a branch of a local convenience store chain. For Muslims, the word “Allah” is sacrosanct and should not be presented inappropriately in any form, such as on footwear. Although the proprietor of the store offered a grovelling apology, blaming the vendor and saying that only 14 pairs of the offensive item were found in a handful of his 800 outlets, the matter did not end there.

The backlash was severe and serious. Malay Muslim netizens launched an avalanche of attacks against the chain and its owner, who is Chinese Malaysian. The leader of Malaysia’s Malay nationalist party’s youth wing, UMNO Youth Chief Akmal Saleh, led the political charge demanding swift, heavy punishment and called for a boycott of the stores even as he said the issue should not be racialised. Most seriously, Malaysia’s head of state, the Agong, expressed his grave displeasure at the sale of the socks and decreed that action be taken against those responsible.

The store’s proprietor and its directors, together with suppliers, were subsequently charged in court for “deliberately intending to hurt the religious feelings” of the Muslim community. The factory which packed and distributed the socks imported from China had its license cancelled.

Yet the firestorm has not abated. Mr Akmal has continued to instigate for a boycott of the chain, demanding that apology banners be hung at all the chain’s stores. He even suggested the owners “find another business”. He has, in turn, been on the receiving end of a death threat. Meanwhile, one of the Perak branches of the convenience store chain in question was hit by a petrol bomb, which fortunately landed outside its premises.

Amidst the escalating tension, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has been conspicuous due to his relative silence. Apart from procedural statements referring the matter to police investigation early on, Anwar (at the time of writing) has not stepped up to douse the flames of anger on both sides. Some in the Malay Muslim community, riled by the likes of Mr Akmal, see this as unforgivable sacrilege. Tensions have been running high in the Malay Muslim community since a recent court ruling which declared certain provisions in the Islamic law enactments of the state of Kelantan, under the rule of the Islamist party PAS, as unconstitutional. Although the court was merely interpreting the constitutional jurisdiction of state assemblies in passing laws that should fall under federal purview, some Muslims, who claimed it was an assault on Islam and sharia laws, met the decision with anger.

Amidst the escalating tension, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has been conspicuous due to his relative silence.

For non-Malays, especially the ethnic Chinese community, the calls for boycotting the convenience store chain lead towards a slippery slope. Although they disproportionately dominate the Malaysian business landscape, they are dependent on the larger Malay-Muslim community as consumers. They have recently seen how a Malay-Muslim-led boycott of establishments thought to have links to Israel in response to the Gaza genocide has had significant impact on the earnings of these businesses. They also fear that this could spiral into a more serious racial confrontation.

Anwar’s partner in his Unity Government, UMNO, has given Mr Akmal tacit support. Its president, deputy premier Zahid Hamidi, has largely stayed silent and has not been interested in reining in his youth chief. This may be a risky tactic to try and shore up the support of the Muslim-Malay community, which has not warmed up to the Unity Government, Anwar’s premiership, or returned to supporting the once dominant UMNO.

For his part, Anwar seems to be taking a cue from Zahid by choosing to say as little as possible out of fear that it will further alienate Muslim-Malay voters. The result may be that he gains absolutely nothing. For some Muslim-Malays, relative silence does not say anything about Anwar’s leadership in defending the sanctity of Islam. For non-Muslims, the progressive Anwar whom they have supported all this while is nowhere to be seen. This was a moment tailor-made for Anwar’s gift of soaring rhetoric, powers of persuasion, and familiarity with progressive Islamic thought. Unfortunately, the moment for Anwar to lead from the front in bringing Malaysia together and back from the precipice has likely passed, for now.

In his stead, the Agong and the police have issued clear warnings for all to stand down. As with the heatwave, this too will recede in time as rational minds prevail. However, once a genie carrying racial and religious sentiments is let out, it is difficult to get it back in the bottle. Anwar will have to be careful that what continues to simmer does not boil again. He needs to be ready to lead if it does; the sound of silence will not suffice as an encore.

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