Enduring Islamism: Islamist Competition, Collaboration and Transformation in Malaysia

Political Islam in contemporary Malaysia, particularly since the 2018 general election, has entered a new chapter characterised by multifaceted Islamist competition, collaboration, and transformation. Rivalries exist among political parties and coalitions, directly or indirectly backed by influential Islamist organisations such as ABIM (Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement), IKRAM (Malaysian IKRAM Association), and ISMA (Malaysian Muslim Solidarity). Drawing on interviews, participant observation and online research, this article examines how and under what conditions different actors articulate Islamic narratives and advance their agendas, and how Islamic movements evolve alongside social and political developments while remaining committed to their ideological commitments. Moving beyond the debate between Islamism and post-Islamism, this article proposes terms such as right-wing Islamism, multicultural Islamism and Malay Muslim majoritarianism to better understand and analyse the diverse manifestations of Islamism in Malaysia. While adopting different approaches to engaging with non-Muslims, various Islamist actors uphold their commitment to Islamising the state and society. Therefore, Islamist fragmentation does not jeopardise the process of Islamisation; instead, it further strengthens the endurance of Islamism, as different Islamist actors seek to establish their Islamic credentials, albeit in different ways.