Kamaludeen Mohamed Nasir

Governing as gardening: reflections on soft authoritarianism in Singapore

The idea of ‘soft authoritarianism’, as a general description of many Asian societies, can be defined as a political system in which there are minimal components of democracy such as elections and political parties but, as a consequence of rapid modernisation, state control of the economy and an emphasis on export-driven growth, basic social and political rights are often compromised. Typically, these states govern in the name of constitutionalism but often use the law to suppress political activity on the part of citizens. These societies have often replaced the rule of law with neo-Confucian rule of virtue in which the duties of the citizen to the state are more important than the responsibilities of the state towards the citizen. In these authoritarian polities, the state constructs an educational system to discipline the electorate rather than to create an informed citizenry, simply because there is low trust between leaders and electorate. The duty of the passive citizen is merely to consent to the legitimacy of the regime; the duty of the state is to provide security by weeding out citizens who are troublesome. We argue that Singapore has, until the recent election in 2011, been the classic illustration of soft authoritarianism, but we conclude by asking whether Singapore is moving from governance based on a gardening metaphor of weeding out bad influences to a more mature and open democracy.

Antipodal Tattooing: Muslim Youth in Chinese Gangs

ABSTRACT The relationship between Muslims and body art has not been a subject of academic inquiry. This is strange since tattooing has become more prevalent in many urban cosmopolitan cities. This article examines the tattooing practices of Muslim men in Singapore. These practices are sociologically interesting because they involve Malay men who are predominantly Muslims, tattooing themselves as part of their membership in gangs that are mostly Chinese-dominated. This article presents the concept of “antipodal tattooing,” which can be instructive in understanding the relationships between tattooing and identity formation as expressions of the fragile and fragmented character of minority youth identities in urban life.

The September 11 generation, hip-hop and human rights

This article examines the global human rights activism of young Muslims through their participation in hip-hop culture. The increased awareness of their Muslim identity in the post-September 11 era inadvertently influences and permeates the consumption of popular youth culture. The article contends that there is an attempt by the hip-hop ummah to draw from the struggles of the African American experience to articulate the human rights concerns facing respective communities. The right to appropriate hip-hop as a means to express their predicaments also brings its young practitioners into conflict with moral entrepreneurs who act as gatekeepers to the religion. However, the human rights activism of young Muslims is bridging the seemingly irreconcilable gap between hip-hop and piety, serving not only as an important framework of social identity but also providing the space to forge generational and transnational solidarities.This article examines the global human rights activism of young Muslims through their participation in hip-hop culture. The increased awareness of their Muslim identity in the post-September 11 era...

Boycotts as moral protests in Malaysia and Singapore

This article examines boycott movements in Malaysia and Singapore as expressions of popular Islam, with the Israeli–Gaza conflicts of 2008 and 2014 as case studies. The study of Muslims in Malaysia and Singapore is important for a number of reasons. First, it highlights the complexities of the global discourse on boycotting among Muslim communities. It not only shows the degree of the Muslims’ collective action on the ground but also the conversations among the elites. Second, it demonstrates the diverse manifestations of religiosity within differing socio-political conditions. Owing to their unique position as a minority population in a Sinicized environment, located in between Malay and Muslim dominated countries, Malaysia and Indonesia, Malay Muslims in Singapore are often juxtaposed against a barometer of the Malay Other. Music, movies, popular trends and terminologies coined across the Causeway often find their way into the everyday lexicon of Muslims in Singapore. While these popular cultural expressions might seem free flowing and amorphous, one cannot neglect the roles of states in influencing the practice of popular Islam.This article examines boycott movements in Malaysia and Singapore as expressions of popular Islam, with the Israeli–Gaza conflicts of 2008 and 2014 as case studies. The study of Muslims in Malaysia...