Malaysia’s LGBTQ crackdowns aren’t hypocrisy, they’re politics

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.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Anwar’s government isn’t failing its ideals. It’s navigating a reality where Malay-Muslim legitimacy dictates the limits of social change

Anwar’s government isn’t failing its ideals. It’s navigating a reality where Malay-Muslim legitimacy dictates the limits of social change

Highly publicised raids carry symbolic weight and function as moral statements. Even if enforcement levels by various state Islamic Religious Affairs Departments seem low, with 135 LGBTQ-related arrests from 2022 to 2025, the visibility of action communicates resolve.


© South China Morning Post