Memali Incident
Encyclopedia
The Memali Incident was a major incident that occurred in the remote village of Memali, Baling
in the Malaysian state of Kedah
on 19 November 1985.
A team of 200 policemen under orders from the Acting Prime Minister and Home Minister Musa Hitam
laid siege to kampung (village) houses in Memali, near Baling in Kedah. The houses were occupied by an Islamic sect
of about 400 people led by Ibrahim Mahmud a.k.a. Ibrahim Libya.
, the two major political parties in Malaysia. Some PAS leaders had concluded that UMNO members were apostate. In 1981, Hadi Awang, a senior PAS politician made claims that to resist UMNO and the UMNO led government that does not practice Islamic Hudud
law is a Jihad
, and that those who died in the struggle are al-shahid. Pursuant to Hadi’s claims, there was a serious rift in the Malay
Muslim community. In Besut
, Terengganu
for example, communities were split to the extent that communal prayers were done separately for UMNO and for PAS congregations. http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/archive.asp?y=2000&dt=0505&pub=utusan_malaysia&sec=rencana&pg=ot_03.htm&arc=hive http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/archive.asp?y=2005&dt=0707&pub=utusan_malaysia&sec=politik&pg=po_02.htm&arc=hive
, hence his nickname Ibrahim Libya. The police wanted to arrest Ibrahim Mahmud under the Internal Security Act
, for creating discord and disharmony, but he refused to give himself up. Ibrahim was also accused of harbouring two brothers, Yusof Che Mit and Ramli Che Mit, who were fugitives
. Revered by the village folks, who called him Ustaz Ibrahim, they vowed to defend him to the death.
Ibrahim attended Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Weng in Baling
before furthering his studies in Islamic studies at Sekolah Agama Ittifaqiah, Kg Carok Putih, Weng and later Pondok Al-Khariah, Pokok Sena, Seberang Perai
. Ibrahim Mahmud attended the University of Tripoli in Libya. He had also studied in India
and at Al-Azhar University
in Cairo
.
Upon his return, he worked as a preacher with Pusat Islam. He appeared on television to lectures on topics of Islam
. Allegedly, Ibrahim was involved in the 1974 Baling Demonstrations along with Anwar Ibrahim
. Ibrahim Mahmud’s politics drifted towards those of PAS
. His close association with PAS worried the government of Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. In 1978, Ibrahim contested the elections for the seat of Bayu-Baling as a PAS candidate. Ibrahim polled 5,081 votes as opposed to the Barisan Nasional
candidate who polled 6,169 votes. In 1982, Ibrahim again contested for the same seat but lost by 100 votes.
Pusat Islam looked into his teachings and thereafter banned him from lecturing in the media or to give lectures in mosques and suraus throughout the nation. Pusat Islam also started making allegations of 'deviationist acts' against him. Ibrahim was called a fanatic who challenged the integrity of the Government..
(Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was away on a visit to China
), who was also Home Affairs Minister announced that 14 'criminals' had been killed in Kampung Memali in clashes with security forces.
on January 1986 but later released in June.
and showed an official video recording of the incident on national television
. The White Paper on the incident said the extremists tried to spread deviationist teachings and disrupt public order.
The Malaysian Government released video footage culled from police tapes of the operation on prime time
television on RTM 1, the primary government television station
. The video showed villagers armed with parangs, catapults and Molotov cocktail
s taunting and protesting the actions of the Federal Reserve Unit
troopers. The video
also showed a mortally wounded police Sarjan writhing in pain while awaiting help.
In February 2002, RTM 1 showed the confessions of a man involved in the Memali incident. The Information Ministry ‘s Zainuddin Maidin explained that the man would relate how he was influenced to participate. Zainuddin said intention of the broadcast it was to show the truth. PAS
was concerned over plans to air the video clip as it may have implications on a pending court case involving the families of those killed in the incident. A PAS official said they were not worried about the political impact of the video clip because PAS believes the people would not blindly accept it.
The National Fatwa Council on 3 and 4 February 1986 made the ruling that the deaths of Ibrahim Libya and his followers was shahid, and denied government accusation. http://portalilmu.kempen.gov.my/index.php?ch=12&pg=132&ac=3013.
Al-Mau'nah
leader Mohamed Amin Mohamed Razali was allegedly present during part of the Memali Incident. http://www.pathfinder.com/asiaweek/magazine/2000/0721/nat.malaysia.html http://www.santegidio.org/pdm/news/29_12_01_c.htm
Kamaruzaman Yusoff views that the “Memali Incident entailed the interpretation and materialisation of the concepts of jihād and syahid. A re-interpretation of these two concepts has manifested itself in the recent Al-Mau'nah Incident and the activities of the Kumpulan Militant Malaysia (Malaysia’s Militant Group) that tried to effect political changes through unconstitutional means; and this is certainly in contrast to PAS' willingness to participate in the Malaysian electoral process.”
.
through Harakah had urged generous donations to the fund to help the families of Ibrahim and his men which the party regarded as martyrs. A PAS member lodged a police report against alleged misappropriation. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1:82556280/Pas+man+to+leave+it+to+police.html?refid=SEO This led to a public outcry and prompted PAS president Fadzil Noor
to investigate.
Baling
Baling is a major town in the northern state of Kedah in Malaysia. It is also the name of a district in which Baling town is situated. It is south of Betong, the southernmost town in Thailand.-Origin of name:...
in the Malaysian state of Kedah
Kedah
Kedah is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km², and it consists of the mainland and Langkawi. The mainland has a relatively flat terrain, which is used to grow rice...
on 19 November 1985.
A team of 200 policemen under orders from the Acting Prime Minister and Home Minister Musa Hitam
Musa Hitam
Tun Musa bin Hitam , is a Malaysian politician and a former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, serving under Mahathir bin Mohamad. He was born in Johor Bahru, Johor in 1934...
laid siege to kampung (village) houses in Memali, near Baling in Kedah. The houses were occupied by an Islamic sect
Sect
A sect is a group with distinctive religious, political or philosophical beliefs. Although in past it was mostly used to refer to religious groups, it has since expanded and in modern culture can refer to any organization that breaks away from a larger one to follow a different set of rules and...
of about 400 people led by Ibrahim Mahmud a.k.a. Ibrahim Libya.
Background
The Memali Incident followed severely strained relationships between UMNO and PASPAS (political party)
The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party commonly known as PAS or Pas, is an Islamist political party in Malaysia and is currently headed by Dato' Seri Abdul Hadi Awang...
, the two major political parties in Malaysia. Some PAS leaders had concluded that UMNO members were apostate. In 1981, Hadi Awang, a senior PAS politician made claims that to resist UMNO and the UMNO led government that does not practice Islamic Hudud
Hudud
Hudud is the word often used in Islamic literature for the bounds of acceptable behaviour and the punishments for serious crimes...
law is a Jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
, and that those who died in the struggle are al-shahid. Pursuant to Hadi’s claims, there was a serious rift in the Malay
Malaysian Malay
In Malaysia, the Malay population is defined by Article 160 of the Malaysian Constitution as someone born to a Malaysian citizen who professes to be a Muslim, habitually speaks the Malay language, adheres to Malay customs and is domiciled in Malaysia or Singapore...
Muslim community. In Besut
Besut
Besut is a district in the Malaysian state of Terengganu. It is bordered by the state of Kelantan to the north and the South China Sea to the east. It is the northern gateway to Terengganu. Kampung Raja is the district capital, though Jertih is more developed. Another major town is Kuala Besut....
, Terengganu
Terengganu
Terengganu is a sultanate and constitutive state of federal Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Iman...
for example, communities were split to the extent that communal prayers were done separately for UMNO and for PAS congregations. http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/archive.asp?y=2000&dt=0505&pub=utusan_malaysia&sec=rencana&pg=ot_03.htm&arc=hive http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/archive.asp?y=2005&dt=0707&pub=utusan_malaysia&sec=politik&pg=po_02.htm&arc=hive
Ibrahim Mahmud
Ibrahim was a local religious teacher who had received part of his education at the University of Tripoli in LibyaLibya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, hence his nickname Ibrahim Libya. The police wanted to arrest Ibrahim Mahmud under the Internal Security Act
Internal Security Act (Malaysia)
The Internal Security Act 1960 is a preventive detention law in force in Malaysia. The legislation was enacted after Malaysia gained independence from Britain in 1957. The ISA allows for detention without trial or criminal charges under limited, legally defined circumstances...
, for creating discord and disharmony, but he refused to give himself up. Ibrahim was also accused of harbouring two brothers, Yusof Che Mit and Ramli Che Mit, who were fugitives
Fugitives
The Fugitives were a group of poets and literary scholars who came together at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, around 1920. They published a small literary magazine called The Fugitive from 1922-1925 which showcased their works...
. Revered by the village folks, who called him Ustaz Ibrahim, they vowed to defend him to the death.
Ibrahim attended Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Weng in Baling
Baling
Baling is a major town in the northern state of Kedah in Malaysia. It is also the name of a district in which Baling town is situated. It is south of Betong, the southernmost town in Thailand.-Origin of name:...
before furthering his studies in Islamic studies at Sekolah Agama Ittifaqiah, Kg Carok Putih, Weng and later Pondok Al-Khariah, Pokok Sena, Seberang Perai
Seberang Perai
Seberang Perai / Beseran Darul Hidayah, formerly Province Wellesley, is a narrow hinterland opposite Penang island on the Malay Peninsula, which together with the island forms the Malaysian state of Penang. Its principal town is Butterworth...
. Ibrahim Mahmud attended the University of Tripoli in Libya. He had also studied in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and at Al-Azhar University
Al-Azhar University
Al-Azhar University is an educational institute in Cairo, Egypt. Founded in 970~972 as a madrasa, it is the chief centre of Arabic literature and Islamic learning in the world. It is the oldest degree-granting university in Egypt. In 1961 non-religious subjects were added to its curriculum.It is...
in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
.
Upon his return, he worked as a preacher with Pusat Islam. He appeared on television to lectures on topics of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. Allegedly, Ibrahim was involved in the 1974 Baling Demonstrations along with Anwar Ibrahim
Anwar Ibrahim
Anwar bin Ibrahim is a Malaysian politician who served as Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister from 1993 to 1998. Early in his career, Anwar was a close ally of Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad but subsequently emerged as the most prominent critic of Mahathir's government.In 1999, he was sentenced...
. Ibrahim Mahmud’s politics drifted towards those of PAS
PAS (political party)
The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party commonly known as PAS or Pas, is an Islamist political party in Malaysia and is currently headed by Dato' Seri Abdul Hadi Awang...
. His close association with PAS worried the government of Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. In 1978, Ibrahim contested the elections for the seat of Bayu-Baling as a PAS candidate. Ibrahim polled 5,081 votes as opposed to the Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance . Along with its predecessor, it has been Malaysia's federal ruling political force since independence...
candidate who polled 6,169 votes. In 1982, Ibrahim again contested for the same seat but lost by 100 votes.
Pusat Islam looked into his teachings and thereafter banned him from lecturing in the media or to give lectures in mosques and suraus throughout the nation. Pusat Islam also started making allegations of 'deviationist acts' against him. Ibrahim was called a fanatic who challenged the integrity of the Government..
Death Toll
The police action left 14 civilians and 4 policemen dead. The villagers were armed with a few hunting rifles and spears and other rudimentary weapons. The police used heavy vehicles. At the height of the assault, some villagers, men and women, came out in the open in a state of frenzy and hysteria. In an announcement in the media, Acting Prime Minister Musa HitamMusa Hitam
Tun Musa bin Hitam , is a Malaysian politician and a former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, serving under Mahathir bin Mohamad. He was born in Johor Bahru, Johor in 1934...
(Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was away on a visit to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
), who was also Home Affairs Minister announced that 14 'criminals' had been killed in Kampung Memali in clashes with security forces.
Arrests
Police detained 159 people, including women and children. Thirty-six persons involved in the incident were arrested under the Internal Security ActInternal Security Act (Malaysia)
The Internal Security Act 1960 is a preventive detention law in force in Malaysia. The legislation was enacted after Malaysia gained independence from Britain in 1957. The ISA allows for detention without trial or criminal charges under limited, legally defined circumstances...
on January 1986 but later released in June.
Government White Paper
The government published a White PaperWhite paper
A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions, and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields. In commercial use, the term has also come to refer to...
and showed an official video recording of the incident on national television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. The White Paper on the incident said the extremists tried to spread deviationist teachings and disrupt public order.
The Malaysian Government released video footage culled from police tapes of the operation on prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
television on RTM 1, the primary government television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
. The video showed villagers armed with parangs, catapults and Molotov cocktail
Molotov cocktail
The Molotov cocktail, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, Molotov bomb, fire bottle, fire bomb, or simply Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary weapons...
s taunting and protesting the actions of the Federal Reserve Unit
Federal Reserve Unit
The Federal Reserve Unit , or better known by the abbreviation as FRU was established as a riot control forces and a special response team as well as a paramilitary that can be deployed regardless of time to engage on any emergency or public unrest that happens in Malaysia.-Role:The main role of...
troopers. The video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
also showed a mortally wounded police Sarjan writhing in pain while awaiting help.
In February 2002, RTM 1 showed the confessions of a man involved in the Memali incident. The Information Ministry ‘s Zainuddin Maidin explained that the man would relate how he was influenced to participate. Zainuddin said intention of the broadcast it was to show the truth. PAS
PAS (political party)
The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party commonly known as PAS or Pas, is an Islamist political party in Malaysia and is currently headed by Dato' Seri Abdul Hadi Awang...
was concerned over plans to air the video clip as it may have implications on a pending court case involving the families of those killed in the incident. A PAS official said they were not worried about the political impact of the video clip because PAS believes the people would not blindly accept it.
Consequences
PAS called those who died as al-shahid, those who have achieved shahid (martyrs). Ibrahim Mahmud is called al-Shahid Ibrahim. This was in stark contrast to the Government’s stand of calling those who dies as “criminals”. The Kedah State Fatwa Council took the dramatic step of issuing a Fatwa saying that those who died were not al-shahid as claimed by PAS.The National Fatwa Council on 3 and 4 February 1986 made the ruling that the deaths of Ibrahim Libya and his followers was shahid, and denied government accusation. http://portalilmu.kempen.gov.my/index.php?ch=12&pg=132&ac=3013.
Al-Mau'nah
Al-Mau'nah
The Al-Ma'unah was a militant terrorist group based in Malaysia. The group was made famous by their audacious raid on 2 July 2000 on a Malaysian Army Reserve camp in the early hours of the morning and stealing weapons from the armoury...
leader Mohamed Amin Mohamed Razali was allegedly present during part of the Memali Incident. http://www.pathfinder.com/asiaweek/magazine/2000/0721/nat.malaysia.html http://www.santegidio.org/pdm/news/29_12_01_c.htm
Kamaruzaman Yusoff views that the “Memali Incident entailed the interpretation and materialisation of the concepts of jihād and syahid. A re-interpretation of these two concepts has manifested itself in the recent Al-Mau'nah Incident and the activities of the Kumpulan Militant Malaysia (Malaysia’s Militant Group) that tried to effect political changes through unconstitutional means; and this is certainly in contrast to PAS' willingness to participate in the Malaysian electoral process.”
.
Memali Fund
A fund known as the Memali Fund was set up to collect donation for the next-of-kin of Ibrahim Libya and those who died during the Memali Incident. PASPAS (political party)
The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party commonly known as PAS or Pas, is an Islamist political party in Malaysia and is currently headed by Dato' Seri Abdul Hadi Awang...
through Harakah had urged generous donations to the fund to help the families of Ibrahim and his men which the party regarded as martyrs. A PAS member lodged a police report against alleged misappropriation. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1:82556280/Pas+man+to+leave+it+to+police.html?refid=SEO This led to a public outcry and prompted PAS president Fadzil Noor
Fadzil Noor
Dato' Ustaz Hajji Fadzil bin Muhammad Noor was a Malaysian politician and religious teacher. He was the president of Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party , and was the parliamentary opposition leader....
to investigate.