First, was the announcement by Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) Head Muhammad Khusrin Munawi that there was to be no tolerance of the Shia sect teachings of Islam because of the instability it would cause the nation. 200 Shi'ite Muslims were then arrested by the authority because they were "threats to national security."
While this garnered some attention, nothing really came about it apart from Marina Mahathir's blog that brought attention to the Amman Message, a document that seeks to declare what is and is not Islam; a document that recognizes the Shia sect; a document that is recognized by the Malaysian government, signed by Tan Sri Hamid Othman in 2004.
Then just recently, Muhammad Khusrin Munawi was transferrred from JAIS to be the Selangor State Secretary, right hand man to Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, this transfer being approved by the Sultan of Selangor but not accepted by the Selangor State Government which has now stimulated talk about Tan Sri Khalid disrespecting the Selangor palace.
That being said, The Star explains that the Sultan of Selangor has an interest in the position because of his responsibility to protect Islam and Malay rights within the state and has been unhappy with the way the Pakatan Rakyat government has handled and addressed these issues. His endorsement of Khusrin Munawi is suggested to be an attempt to provide some direction he feels is needed.
However, Muhammad Khusrin Munawi's actions at JAIS against Shi'ites is attracting web attention with AFP and Washington Post picking up the story. That 10-20% of Muslims are Shi'ites and Shia Muslims make up the majority in Iran suggest that an international light on Khusrin Munawi's perspective on Shia Islam may not be the best thing for him right now or for the Sultan of Selangor.
What will come of all this? Probably nothing if this isn't picked up further by international media. The Palace will get its way, Khalid Ibrahim will back down and Malaysia will reaffirm its position in favor of Sunni Islam. But if the story does get picked up and international persecution follows, then Malaysia may have a lot of people to answer to and will have to think quick about the statements published and positions endorsed. That would be a thrilling story to follow.
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