Malaysia
Cleaning Up the Klang River
In Kuala Lumpur and its environs, many berate the public for lacking commitment to sustainability and tolerating river pollution. Yet people’s apathy feeds on a belief that the government doesn’t work for the common good or for the country, leading to mistrust and inaction.
A Post-Islamist Triumph
In these dark days of Muslim history — awash with torture states, corrupt ruling elites and repressed civil societies — the election of a democratic dissident who is both a devout Muslim and a global thinker has the potential to embolden other democratic forces in Muslim societies.
Anwar Ibrahim’s Long Road to Power
A Muslim intellectual known for his personal devotion, the new Malaysian prime minister’s perspective on faith has also helped define the possibilities of political Islam in his country, as well as the broader Muslim world. Over a generation of intellectual evolution, it can be said that Anwar Ibrahim is today among the world’s foremost advocates of the compatibility of Islam with democracy.