Boycotts as moral protests in Malaysia and Singapore

Abstract

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.