Indians are well-entrenched the world over with around 30 million of them residing across the globe. Malaysia houses over two million people of Indian origin, third largest diaspora after the US and UAE. With a centuries-old lineage with the Indian sub-continent, Malaysian Indians constitute around 6-7% of the total Malaysian population. A significantly large proportion of this two million Malaysian Indians are practising Hindus.
The recent riots in Bangladesh have highlighted reports of significant attacks on the Hindu community there. With growing global condemnation of this religious persecution, several Indian leaders in Malaysia have begun to call for Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his coalition in power to voice its condemnation. This has been led by the President of the Malaysian Indian Congress, Tan Sri S.A. Vigneswaran. The President of the Malaysian Indian Peoples Party, SP Punithan, and a leader of the Democratic Action Party, Charles Santiago, have also raised similar concerns and calls for Ibrahim to highlight the plight of the Hindu minority on a global platform.
Ibrahim had recently spoken with the newly appointed interim leader of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus. While Ibrahim’s statement says that he emphasised the protection of the rights of all Bangladeshis, including minorities, it seems to have fallen short of specifically mentioning the Hindu persecution.
However, one of the rising leaders of the Malaysian opposition bloc, Member of Parliament (MP) Wan Ahmad Fayhsal has taken to his social media handle on X to strongly condemn this persecution of the Hindu community in Bangladesh. He stated, “We are duty bound by faith to observe the Quranic and Prophetic injunction that non-Muslims who live under Muslim majority rule must not be denied their basic rights and freedom of religion.”
He further emphasised, “…Don’t be misled by our whims and passion to inflict injustices toward non-Muslims in the name of Islam.”
Coming from a young and promising leader of the opposition that is partnered with the Islamic Party, PAS, this is a significant call that resonates with not just the Malaysian Indian community, which is predominantly Hindu, but also all Malaysians at large.
The issue is especially pronounced as PM Anwar is now set to have a formal bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Would the concerns and the pleas of two million Malaysian Indians, who constitute a significant diaspora, be voiced on this bilateral platform with India?
And more importantly, would the needs of this diaspora be discussed on a substantive basis to develop a comprehensive economic blueprint to further enhance the people-to-people relationship between the two countries?
Clearly, this community is in need of a voice that resonates on the global stage.
The author is Senior Correspondent on Foreign Policy and Politics, Malaysia Gazette. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
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