New Media, Cultural Imperialism and the Malay Muslim Society in Malaysia

Volume: 5 Issues: 29 [June, 2020] pp. 19 - 33] Journal of Islamic, Social, Economics and Development (JISED) eISSN: 0128-1755 Journal website: www.jised.com

NEW MEDIA, CULTURAL IMPERIALISM AND THE MALAY MUSLIM SOCIETY IN MALAYSIA

Shafizan Mohamed

Department of Communication, Kulliyyah Of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia (E-mail: [email protected])

Article history To cite this document: Received date : 9 -4-2020 Mohamed, S (2020). New Media, Cultural Imperialism Revised date : 10-4-2020 and the Malay Muslim Society in Malaysia. Journal of Accepted date : 20-6-2020 Islamic, Social, Economics and Development (JISED), Published date : 23-6-2020 5(29), 19 - 33. ______Abstract: The Malay Muslims are the majority of the Malaysian population. They are the products of the Malaysian government’s institutionalization of Islam that was intended to create modern Malay Muslims that are economically savvy, religiously conservative and politically subservient. The Malaysian media system has been strictly protected to ensure that media content do not go too far against the state’s Islamic ideology. In fact, Malaysia has one of the most flourishing Islamic media industries where media channels, operations and content comply with the Syariah. However, the onslaught of new global media is changing this dynamic. While the distinction between the ‘old media’ and the ‘new media’ is becoming vague, this article argues that when discussing the impact of media, the term ‘new media’ is still relevant especially when trying to compare the changes in media effects. When analysing the impact of television for example, one can distinguish the differences between watching traditional TV boxes with streaming TV channels online. The former can be considered ‘old media’ while the latter is the ‘new media’. Taking this consideration as its basis, this commentary focuses on the implications of ‘new media’ such as social media, mobile applications and online streaming services on the Malay Muslim specifically and indigenous cultures generally. The commentary suggests that while the new media offers much opportunity for the Malay Muslims to be part of the contemporary world, it also reignites old concerns of cultural imperialism and troubling postmodern ideals.

Keywords: Culture Imperialism, Malay Muslim, Malaysian Media, Mobile Applications, Social Media, Streaming Media ______

Volume: 5 Issues: 29 [June, 2020] pp. 19 - 33] Journal of Islamic, Social, Economics and Development (JISED) eISSN: 0128-1755 Journal website: www.jised.com

Introduction The Malay Muslims are the majority of the Malaysian population. They are the products of the Malaysian government’s institutionalization of Islam that was intended to create modern Malay Muslims that are economically savvy, religiously conservative and politically subservient. The Malaysian media system has been strictly protected to ensure that media content do not go too far against the state’s Islamic ideology. However the onslaught of new media has challenged the Malay-Muslim status quo that framed the development of the Malaysian media. Coupled with the increasingly commercialized and globalized media practices, the Malaysian media is left in a cultural juncture in which local protectionism of media content is pressured to make way for western media products and contents that are culturally bias against indigenous beliefs and traditions. This commentary articulated this phenomenon by establishing the socio- political intricacies of the Malaysian media and analysing the complex changes brought upon by the new media. The discussion is loosely inspired by the theoretical ideas of globalization and cultural imperialism. The analysis is done through careful readings of relevant literatures and qualitative observation.

The Muslim Society In Malaysia Islam is the official religion in Malaysia. More than 60% of the Malaysian population are Muslims (Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2018). Since the late 1970s, the Islamisation process has seen Islam legally and structurally incorporated into crucial aspects of public life. The enforcement of Islamic education in public schools and the promotion of Islamic banking system are examples of how in Malaysia, Islam is more than just a religion. It is an institution. The complex relationship between the Malaysian social, political and economic circumstances is the major driver to this development (Mohamed & Azzman, 2018).

Although Islam has been recognised as the official religion since 1957; analysts (Weiss 2004; Hamid 2009) claim that it was in the 1970s; during the wake of the Global Islamic Resurgence catalysed by the Iranian Revolution; that the Islamisation project found its footing in Malaysian politics. The Islamic discourse that was prevalent in the Muslim world revitalised debates around the fundamental questions of what being Muslim is about. Initially, Malay university students exposed to the transnational resurgence of Islamic thought led the Islamisation movement, but over time the movement penetrated into major national institutions and took root (Hamid 2009). This rise of the new Islamic-educated Malays, who were mostly trained in the Middle East, and the influence of Islamic NGOs such as the Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia), asserted intense pressure on the ruling government, especially the United Malay National Organization (UMNO) to prove that it was Islamic.

The rise of political Islam was also entrenched within the rivalry between the two main Malay- Muslim political parties, namely, the historically secular-nationalist UMNO, and the more fundamentalist Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) in the contest to become the Muslim champion. In the wake of the Malay community’s religious scrutiny, the UMNO needed to prove that it was more “Islamic” than the PAS. This led Weiss (2004) to argue that the UMNO Islamisation project was less a religious conviction than an invested electoral strategy. As a result, Islam in Malaysia has largely become a conservative, pro-establishment entity that enables the state to manufacture and control expressions of Islam in official and everyday Malaysian life. Islam has undoubtedly become a force affecting all citizens. In 1988, the Malaysian Parliament approved constitutional amendments and added Article 121 (1A) (Malaysian Federal

Volume: 5 Issues: 29 [June, 2020] pp. 19 - 33] Journal of Islamic, Social, Economics and Development (JISED) eISSN: 0128-1755 Journal website: www.jised.com

Constitution 2006), which reads: “The [civil courts] shall have no jurisdiction in respect of any matter within the jurisdiction of the Syariah courts”. This initiative to restructure the Islamic legal institutions was followed by all the other Malaysian states. The climax of Islamic resurgence occurred in September 2001 when Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad declared Malaysia to be an Islamic state (Martinez 2001, 474).

The Malay Muslims in Malaysia A visionary leader, Mahathir understood that Islam is central in the Malay identity. In his effort to confront local pressures on his government to be more Islamic, while at the same time building an economically competitive nation, Mahathir had successfully constructed a unique application of Islam that is relevant within a capitalistic global environment. Mahathir promoted a progressive interpretation of Islam. In his nation building efforts Mahathir closely tied Islam, ethnicity and nationalism in one narrative. Mahathir depicted the inception of Islam and the radical break with the pre-Islamic past as turning away from the dark ages:

And so the animistic ancestors of the Malays embraced Islam with such enthusiasm and faith that they destroyed all their old idols and temples. Today, Malays are constitutionally only Malays if they are Muslims. The progress of the Malays after conversion and presently owes much to Islam as a way of life. There had been lapses of course but by and large Malay civilisation and its progress in the arts and sciences, in the systems of government, the concept of justice and the rule of law, have been the result of attempts to adhere to the teachings of Islam. (Mahathir 2001, 161)

The Islam Mahathir intended for Malaysia was destined for modernity and strict in its rejection of traditional and superstitious beliefs. Mahathir places Islam as the core to the nationalisation of the Malay Muslims through the incorporation of the ideal Islamic way of life. The Malay Muslims was socially, institutionally and culturally shaped through economic development, urbanization and modern thinking that are compatible with Islam and their conservative feudal outlook.

These visions were realized through the New Economic Policy (NEP) where the transformation of the economic and social standings of the native Malays were done through the manufacturing of an urban, educated, entrepreneurial, affluent and commercial Malay middle class also known as Melayu Baru or ‘New Malay’. By the early 1990s, the fruits of the NEP were very much visible. New generations of urban and affluent Melayu Baru were taking control of the country’s economy. This new middle class is actively manufactured by the state and is promoted as a class of modern entrepreneurial, hardworking and consuming Malays who had incredible purchasing power (Shamsul 1998).

Thus becoming middle class meant that the Malay Muslims are avid consumers. They have the ability to spend and are rewarded by the materials they own. Institutionalizing halal further supports the consumerist habits by assuring the Malay Muslim middle class that they are engaging in proper Islamic consumption (Fischer 2008). Just like a typical capitalist citizen, the Malay Muslim middle class becomes both the consumer and the driver of the economy. By demanding for Islamic goods and services, this new Malays pushes the boundary of Islamic commercialization by creating new halal industries that range from Islamic fashion to fine dining to entertainment media.

Volume: 5 Issues: 29 [June, 2020] pp. 19 - 33] Journal of Islamic, Social, Economics and Development (JISED) eISSN: 0128-1755 Journal website: www.jised.com

The Islamization Of Malaysian Media In line with the state’s attempt to incorporate a modern and transformational version of Islam through the NEP, the local media industry was also driven to incorporate Islamic ideas and contents. Islamic dimensions can be seen in the increase of Islamic programming, the pervasiveness of Islamic images and identity, and the creation of pure Islamic channels. While there is no specific rulings or laws regarding the role of Islam in the Malaysian media, there is an agreed understanding that Islam is the official religion and should guide the local media system. According to Buyong and Ismail (2012), , Radio Television Malaysia (RTM), the government-owned media organization announced in 1988, that it would give more air time to Islamic content. In addition, the Department of Islamic Affairs Malaysia (JAKIM) has come out with a general guideline for entertainment in Islam. This guideline will assist anyone in Malaysia who is involved in entertainment industries namely singing, music, dancing, etc. It is, therefore, becoming a guideline in entertainment programs and has been used by most TV stations and production especially in producing Islamic programs. The Ministry of Communication and Multimedia for example imposes strict rules on media contents. Contents that are deemed un-Islamic and can pose threats to the position of Islam in the country are strictly prohibited. Any media company that disregard these requirements risk getting summoned or their license revoked (Wok & Mohamed, 2017).

As Islam became more inherent in everyday life and as more middle class Malay Muslims become increasingly concerned about the halal and haram, demands for more Islamic content became apparent. Islamic images and contents gradually became a natural part of everyday programming. Women in hijabs are reading news, hosting shows, singing on the radio and acting in films and TV dramas. In 1996, the nasyeed group Raihan took the local music industry by storm when their debut album, Puji-Pujian grossed sales of more than 750,000 units in Malaysia alone, with 200,000 units sold within the first two months after its launch, and 3,500,000 units have been sold worldwide, which makes them the most successful Malaysian artist in terms of album sales ever (Barendregt, 2011).

The demands for Islamic content and the potential for profit gave confidence to the industry that they were ready to establish pure Islamic channels that will exclusively focus on Islamic contents and adhere to Islamic traditions. Radio IKIM, established in 2001 by the state owned Institut Kefahaman Islam Malaysia (Institute for Islamic Understanding) was Malaysia’s first fully Islamic broadcast media. Radio IKIM was a success. At its early conception, it managed to gather more than 1.4 Million listeners, a relatively bug number for a new radio station (Mohamed, 2008). As a an Islamic radio, IKIM offers listeners with a total package of Islamic content that range from nasyeed, Quranic studies to Arabic lessons 24 hours a day, every day of the week.

The government’s Islamic vision drove the market at the time. The Muslim Middle class continued to grow and mature. Their consumption habit has also been defined by the state policies that emphasized on local and halal products. This gave confidence to the media companies to invest in Islamic channels. The commercialization of Islamic content was further sealed when the only Satellite pay TV; All-Asian Satellite Television and Radio Operator or better known as Astro introduced its first Islamic channel, ASTRO Oasis in 2007. Promoted as the Muslim Lifestyle Channel, ASTRO oasis offers 24 hours of progressive lifestyle content

Volume: 5 Issues: 29 [June, 2020] pp. 19 - 33] Journal of Islamic, Social, Economics and Development (JISED) eISSN: 0128-1755 Journal website: www.jised.com for Muslims that contains Islamic based educational, entertainment and documentary styled programs (www.astro.com.my).

Established in 2009, TV AlHijrah is the first Malaysian free-to-air Islamic TV channel. Although it is registered as a private corporation, TV AlHijrah is managed by the AlHijrah Media Corporation, a government owned company under the Department of Islamic Affair Malaysia (JAKIM). Sani (2010) discussed that al-Hijrah television is a government initiative to establish a channel based on Islam and provide an Islamic perspective through its programs. The vision of al-Hijrah television is to be a channel that educates, entertains and unifies the community through creative, high-quality and universal programs that are in-line with Islamic principles and suitable for local and international communities. Al-Hijrah television shoulders the mission to become the first television station with an Islamic concept in Malaysia that broadcasts good quality and creative programs that encourage people to continuously migrate towards the path of righteousness in all aspects of life.

In 2009, JAKIM introduced its own Islamic radio called SALAM.fm. Although Salam.fm’s commercial success was not as big as Radio IKIM’s, it managed to gather its own followings. In 2017, ASTRO introduces its own Islamic radio channel, radio Zayan. “Zayan" means beautiful in the Arabic language. Its slogan is #indahdihati, means beautiful is in the heart. Astro positions Zayan as "Contemporary Muslim radio station" that appeals to the modern Muslim community by serving them with contemporary content consisting of the latest fashion, technology, entertainment and lifestyle. All the while still holding true to the timeless creed of their faith. The radio station targets Muslim listeners aged 18-35 and plays music from local and international artists, as well as mainly Islamic-related content (https://zayan.my). In the same year, Al-Hijrah Media Corporations announced that it would have its own radio station Hijrah.fm. The 24 hours radio station will broadcast Islamic content similar to those of IKIM.fm and Salam.fm. To date, Malaysia has 4 radio stations and 3 TV channels that are dedicated to Islamic Programming.

The Rise Of The Internet Inspired by the rapid technological development of the west and realizing the impact of the Internet on the global society, Mahathir Mohamad officiated the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) on February 1996. MSC Malaysia covers an area of approximately 750 km2 (290 sq mi) stretching from the Petronas Twin Towers to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and including the towns of Putrajaya and Cyberjaya. The MSC is a government-designated zone built to usher Malaysia into the imminent digital economy and transform Malaysia into a modern state by 2020 through the adoption of a knowledge-based society framework. The MSC was designed to attract multinational companies to operate in Malaysia whilst employing local talents and contributing to the Malaysian economy. In response, these companies were offered with temporary tax breaks and facilities such as high-speed Internet access. In the attempt to further attract the investors; Mahathir even signed the Bill of Guarantee in 1997. The bill was an agreement designed to reassure international investors that Malaysia would not impose any censorship on the Internet. As a result, Malaysia officially participated in the new digital economy and Malaysians were introduced to the new media and unlimited media freedom (Wok & Mohamed, 2017).

Volume: 5 Issues: 29 [June, 2020] pp. 19 - 33] Journal of Islamic, Social, Economics and Development (JISED) eISSN: 0128-1755 Journal website: www.jised.com

The Internet grew rapidly. As at the end of 2018, almost 28.7 million or 87.4% of Malaysians were online. Since the Internet was introduced to the Malaysian public in 1995, many strategic steps have been taken to accelerate its penetration. Public schools have been equipped with computer labs, tax exemptions have been given for the purchases of laptops and Internet connections, and a multimedia university was built to create Internet‐savvy graduates (Wok and Mohamed, 2017). The introduction of broadband in 2007 further sealed the Internet as an important component of Malaysian life. Better and faster Internet access has facilitated the boom in e‐commerce and online businesses. It has also allowed Malaysians to extract more from the Internet, especially in the form of faster streaming of media content. Hence, Malaysians have become more reliant on the Internet for everyday activities such as the daily news, paying bills, or simply catching up with family and friends.

New Media And The Malay Muslims The term new media is now considered no longer relevant because there is no longer a clear distinction between the ‘old media’ and the ‘new media’. Conventionally, ‘old media’ consists media forms that existed before the Internet and were not digital in nature like print media, radio and television while new media were online based media. However, the continuous and rapid rise of newer and more technologically sophisticated media forms that are less physical and more focused on online distribution channels such as social media, applications and streaming platforms have saturated the categorization of new media. Media convergence has further discounted the distinction between old and new media. ‘Old media’ such as newspapers, radio and television are now all online. In many cases these media have totally ceased its old physical form and are defined according to its’ nature of content. Thus an online newspaper or an online radio is neither a new nor an old media. It is simply a media transformed.

However when discussing the impact of media, the term new media is still applicable especially when trying to compare the changes in media effects. When analysing the impact of television for example, one can distinguish the differences between watching traditional TV boxes with streaming TV channels online. The former can be considered ‘old media’ while the latter is the ‘new media’. Therefore the term new media should not be taken as a generic representation of all contemporary media, rather it should be used within a particular context. The media landscape is changing very rapidly and the term ‘new’ loses its appeal easily. In this article, the term new media is used to specifically explain about what is currently considered ‘new’ such as social media, applications and online streaming services. It will not discuss about transformed media such as online newspapers and online radio as they are no longer ‘new’ and much have already been discussed about them.

As explained in the previous section, Malaysians in general are very much abreast with the contemporary media. Fast and easily accessible Internet connection has made the Internet part of everyday life (Wok & Mohamed, 2017). The Malay Muslims who make the majority Malaysians are mostly heavy Internet users. Just like the rest of the global citizens, the Malay Muslims have been significantly affected by new technologies and are dynamically responding to the demands of a media-saturated world. The vast information coming from the media are exposing the Malay Muslims to ideas, cultures and values that can be both enlightening and threatening. At the same time, the ability to participate in the digital world, creating and sharing unique contents is also changing the ways the Malay Muslims deal with their Muslim identity. This article will unpack the impact of new Media on the Malay Muslims by focusing on how

Volume: 5 Issues: 29 [June, 2020] pp. 19 - 33] Journal of Islamic, Social, Economics and Development (JISED) eISSN: 0128-1755 Journal website: www.jised.com

1) social media; 2) applications and 3) streaming devices are challenging the ideals of a Malay Muslim. In this sense, the Malay Muslim is characterized by the notion of a progressive ‘Melayu baru’ that is modern and consumerist yet spiritually conservative (see section above).

Social Media The rise of web 2.0 in the early 2000 was a catalyst to the many changes brought upon by the internet. The paradigm shift that turned the Internet from typical read-only media into a two- way media platform that celebrated user participation was a revolutionary change for Malaysians who have long lived in a very controlled media system. For the everyday Malaysians, blogging was pioneer to their online participation. Blogs were user friendly online platforms that allowed anyone without technical knowledge to build, maintain and manage their own website. For the first time, Malaysians were introduced to the idea of having their own media where they are not just the audience but are the owner and producer of content. As a result, there was an explosion of content being shared that ranged from mundane personal stories to controversial political expose (Mohamed, 2017).

This contributed to the ascent of a well-informed and more political Malay Muslims. Although Mahathir Mohamad had carefully and intelligently built a generation of ‘Melayu Baru’ that were modern, affluent and committed to the state ideology (Mohamed & Azzman, 2018), the social media had definitely disrupted that idea of a Malay Muslim who was submitted to the state. Through blogs and other forms of social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, the Malays have generally become politically vocal. They are aware and critical of the government and the political leaders. This can be seen by the Barisan Nasional continuous fall in popularity since the11th general election held in 2004 to its eventual fall in the 14th general election in 2018. The fall of the Barisan Nasional government which had strongly ruled Malaysia for 61 years was a testament to the change in the Malay Muslims’ political psyche. They have become more politically independent in the sense that they were able to break away from the systematic and structural control long used by the Barisan Nasional government (Mohamed, 2017).

Although there were many other contributing factors such as corruption and misuse of power that made the Barisan Nasional unpopular, the role of the social media is undeniably significant. For instance, social media eliminated the gap between the political leaders and the voters and this affected the traditional feudalistic nature of the Malays that culturally segregated the elites (bangsawan) and the royalties from the everyday folk. However, on social media everyone have (almost) equal standing. The royals and the elites who used to have privileged status quo are now being questioned, criticized and put to scrutiny by media-savvy Malays who no longer have the feudalistic mentality. This bold challenge to class and authority is much supported by the freedom allowed by the government when it agreed to not censor the Internet in 1997.

The social media have also led to the rise of Malay Muslim social media influencers that are changing the community’s social structures. Influencers are people who have built a reputation for their knowledge and expertise on a particular topic. They make regular posts about that topic on their preferred social media channels and generate large followings of enthusiastic engaged people who pay close attention to their views. There are many Malay Muslim influencers that talk about a range of topics like fashion, entertainment, motivation, wealth,

Volume: 5 Issues: 29 [June, 2020] pp. 19 - 33] Journal of Islamic, Social, Economics and Development (JISED) eISSN: 0128-1755 Journal website: www.jised.com sports and religion. While some of the influencers are credible in their area of expertise such as professionally trained medical doctors, accredited healthcare trainers and reputable religious scholars; most of these influencers are non-experts who become popular by the virtue of their ability to attract followers.

The hijabista culture is one case in point. While the hijab is a religious obligation upon all Muslim women as a symbol of modesty and submission to god, it has now come to represent fashion, commercialization, lifestyle and all the attributes that are far from modest. Conventionally, the rules and proper teachings on wearing the hijab should come from knowledgeable religious authorities. However, on social media, it is the young, attractive, bubbly and media savvy Muslim girls who are setting the rules. These girls are vital in the utterly material and commercial hijabista culture that is generating millions, if not billions of ringgits to the fashion business. On Instagram and Facebook, these Muslim girls are sharing images of them in multiple hijab styles, heavy make-up and attractive pose while boasting about how their material and fashionable belongings. With followers in the hundreds of thousands, these hijabistas are defining what it means to be a young and modern Malay Muslim. On Youtube, these girls are sharing makeup and hijab tutorials while promoting and selling products and brands. An overview of the Malay Muslim community in Malaysia will show that majority of Muslim women don the hijab. Unfortunately, there are more hijabistas compared to modest hijabis. Thus the hijab when understood via the social media is simply a fashion statement.

All is not negative when it comes to influencers. While the hijab is now a contested term, there are influencers who are portraying more fundamental images of Islam. Many Muslim preachers are using the social media to propagate the Islamic teachings in a more informal and contemporary ways. Through Facebook, these preachers are able to engage in two-way communication with the people. They are able to reach their audiences anywhere, anytime. Some of these preachers have become so popular, that they can be the alternative to the local pop stars. As such while the social media is challenging the conventional ways of learning about Islam, it is nevertheless an important media as it has become part of the lives of the Malay Muslims.

Mobile Applications A mobile application, most commonly referred to as an app, is a type of application software designed to run on a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet computer. Apps were originally intended for productivity assistance such as Email, calendar, and contact databases, have now rapidly expanded into other areas such as mobile games, factory automation, GPS, order-tracking, and million other areas and purposes. Today, apps have become an integral part of so many people due to its inherent feature in many aspects of everyday life. Courtesy of numerous apps like alarms, reminders, to-do-lists and all types of notification apps that could be programmed to individual needs and requirements have made modern life more comfortable, easier and more productive. At the same time, the use of app for religious purposes is also increasing. Campbell, Altenhofen, Bellar and Cho (2014) found that the number of Islamic apps almost matched the number of Christian apps making it the second most popular kind of religious app. These Islamic apps have different purposes and focus with the most dominant being: Lifestyle, Reference, Education, Book, Utilities, Entertainment, Games, and Music.

Volume: 5 Issues: 29 [June, 2020] pp. 19 - 33] Journal of Islamic, Social, Economics and Development (JISED) eISSN: 0128-1755 Journal website: www.jised.com

Mobile penetration in Malaysia is very high with 98% of the population actively using the mobile phones (MCMC, 2018). The Malay Muslims are the majority of these mobile users and they are using apps to facilitate their everyday life including their religious life. Quranic apps and qibla finders are among the most common app used. In fact, MuslimPro, the most popular Islamic app is currently used by almost 70 million users worldwide. MuslimPro offers a one all services in which users can access almost all information and services that are relevant and helpful for their religious needs. Among the services offered are Qibla locator, Islamic Hijri calendar, map of halal restaurants and Mosques, colored tajweed guide and fasting times. To date, the app is available in 15 languages including Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Melayu, Deutsch, English, Spanish and French. The app was created by a Singaporean tech company Blitsmedia but is now owned by Malaysian investment house, Bintang Capital in 2017. The app reached a new height when it ranked as the overall number one downloaded mobile application in Malaysia for both Apple App Store and Google Play Store during the start of Ramadan with 1.5 million monthly active users (Tee, 2019). This indicates the centrality of religious apps in the religious lives of the Malay Muslims.

Realizing the significance of apps in spreading religious information, many local religious bodies and institutions have built their own apps. The most prominent would be the Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia or JAKIM) that has its own app where users can access all information related to the body. The JAKIM app also provides information on prayer times, quranic quotes and important Islamic rules and references. JAKIM also owns several other Islamic oriented apps such as verifyhalal, myhadith and smart Quran. Verify Halal, a mobile app designed to empower consumers and suppliers alike to instantly verify the halal status of a product simply by scanning the barcode of the product via their smartphones. The app also allows consumers to search for halal products by product name, brand, company and country. Launched in May 2017, Verify Halal is the first JAKIM-approved platform and now has a huge data pool of products that have JAKIM- standard compliance from 66 halal certification bodies from 40 countries. With apps such as this, the Muslims have no problem to ascertain the credibility of the products they consume. Halal certification here is not limited to food but many other inedible goods such as cosmetics and home products.

Each of Malaysia’s 14 states has its own state religious body and since the institutionalization of the Internet in the public sector, all of these bodies have an online presence via websites and online services. Several state religious bodies such as Wilayah Persekutuan and Selangor have also built their own app. With these apps, local Muslims are able to get direct information about religious matters that is specifically catered to them. For example, each of the Malaysian states has it’s own mufti who gives different rulings on issues. A Mufti is a religious and legal expert who is empowered to give a fatwa or rulings on religious matters. For instance, when it comes to issues such as dowry and the minimum marriageable age, the Malaysian states have different fatwas. Therefore state-based apps could help inform Muslims about these different rules. At the same time, state religious apps also provide other services such as prayer times, Islamic videos, and mosque locators. The Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (Selangor Islamic Department or JAIS) has one of the most sophisticated app called ‘Hotline JAIS’. The interactive application provides information on the department’s activities, legal discussions and law enforcements. The app also allows user to directly file a complaint or report on any

Volume: 5 Issues: 29 [June, 2020] pp. 19 - 33] Journal of Islamic, Social, Economics and Development (JISED) eISSN: 0128-1755 Journal website: www.jised.com suspected activities that are illegal according to the state Islamic laws (Khairuldin, Embong, Anas, Mohd, and Ismail, 2018)

While the availability of the Islamic apps is undeniably convenient and helpful for the Muslims, apps in general do have its downside and some of it could be harmful to Muslims especially. Islam is a religion that is structured and systematic; its followers come from different ethnicities and cultures and adhere to different sects, schools and branches. While there are numerous Islamic sects, the two mostly followed by Muslims around the world are the Sunni and Syia. Islam in Malaysia is represented by the Shafi’i version of Sunni theology and jurisprudence. The Malaysian constitution strictly claims that it adheres to Sunnatul-al-Jamaah and considers Syia, a deviant sect. Therefore, there have been concerns about the easily available information and teachings about Syia online and how the Malay Muslims are becoming more accepting of the teachings. When downloading apps, it is easy to confuse between a Sunni and Syia based app because both would offer content that would appear similar to the unassuming Muslim users.

Other than that, apps have also made many Malay Muslims become more dependent on technology and exposed to all kinds of content and values. Just like any other young people today, young Muslims are also becoming too dependent on technologies. Social media apps and gaming apps for example are consuming many young Muslims into a life based on materialism and narcissism. The need to have social media presence have led many young Muslims to engage in un-Islamic activities in the attempt to gain social media likes and followers. Obsession with gaming is also an issue for the Muslims as most of the popular online games promote violence and sexual content.

Streaming media Streaming media is video or audio content sent in compressed form over the Internet and played immediately, rather than being saved to the hard drive. With streaming media, a user does not have to wait to download a file to play it. Because the media is sent in a continuous stream of data, it can play as it arrives. Users can pause, rewind or fast-forward, just as they could with a downloaded file, unless the content is being streamed live. The rapid development of broadband technologies has further encouraged the pervasiveness of streaming media and has created a profitable industry of streaming services. A streaming service is an on demand online entertainment source for TV shows, movies and other streaming media. These services provide an alternative to cable and satellite on demand service, often at a lower cost. Some popular streaming services include Youtube, Netflix, and Hulu which stream films and television shows; Spotify and Apple Music, which stream music; and the video game streaming sites Twitch, and Mixer. These new streaming media have changed the media landscape even more by providing content that are hyper individualized. In contrast to traditional mass media where the same content is indiscriminately broadcasted to the audience, streaming media allows the audiences to choose, design and control their content and viewership. On the bright side, this offers the audiences more choice and control hence challenging the negative attribute of mass audience where media consumption is considered a passive activity that mostly benefits the media and advertising companies. While the streaming media supports the notion of the active audience, it still brings into consideration the long-established concern that relates media consumption to globalization and cultural imperialism. Streaming media is very much dominated by big American media

Volume: 5 Issues: 29 [June, 2020] pp. 19 - 33] Journal of Islamic, Social, Economics and Development (JISED) eISSN: 0128-1755 Journal website: www.jised.com conglomerates that are profiting from the change in the audiences’ media habits. For example, streaming services have increased media consumption in the sense that audiences can access media content via multiple platforms like their laptops and mobile phones thus creating audiences that are constantly accessing and demanding media content. Unfortunately, these media content are mostly western. Thus the issue of culture becomes prominent when audiences are given a multitude of choice that actually comes from the same westernized cultural framework. While local content are sometimes available, they are usually unable to compete with the more popular and attractive western, mostly American content.

These cultural concerns equally affect the Malay Muslims who are also heavy media streamers. According to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC, 2018), 70.9% of Internet users in Malaysia stream videos and watch online TV as their preferred leisure activity. This has led to the rise in streaming sites in Malaysia. To date, there are many streaming services in Malaysia such as Iflix, Viu, Astro Go and Tonton. Astro Go and Tonton are the streaming platforms for two local media conglomerates, ASTRO and Media Prima respectively. While they offer local content and are highly popular, they are currently competing with global media streaming services that are bigger in size and content and more technologically sophisticated.

Netflix is one case in point. Since it first became available in Malaysia in 2017, it has seen a rise in subscription (Anderson, 2019). For as low as RM17 per month, it offers a much cheaper option compared to ASTRO. Netflix opened up a whole new platform to binge watch Hollywood and European movies and TV shows. Binge watching is a trend popularized by Netflix. It is a practice of watching television for a long time span, usually a single television show. In a survey conducted by Netflix in February 2014, 73% of people define binge watching as "watching between 2-6 episodes or more of the same TV show in one sitting. Researches suggests that binge-watching is a form of compulsive consumption, similar to binge-eating, or binge-drinking, and that due to its addictive aspects, it could even represent a form of TV addiction (Sweet, 2017) (Pittman and Steiner, 2019). Tukachinsky and Eyal (2018) found that binge watching television is correlated with depression, loneliness, self-regulation deficiency, and obesity. Binge watching is an unhealthy habit while specifically binge watching western content is culturally dangerous especially when Netflix offers unrated and uncensored content. Violent and sexually explicit scenes are considered art and entertainment and are available for all audiences disregarding any form of cultural or religious sensitivities.

Local broadcast and cable TV are tied to strict censorship. However, since Netflix is an online streaming media, it is so far protected by the bill of rights and is currently left uncensored. TV series such as Orange is the new black, Queer Eye, The Bisexual and Sex Education are series that portray explicit homosexual content and proudly promotes the LGBT agenda. These series are easily available to the Malay Muslim audiences who had been previously protected by the country’s strict censorship of contents that are considered obscene and un-Islamic. While there has been attempt by Netflix to include more locally produced content, these local products are so small in numbers when compared to all the programs available in the Netflix catalogue that their impact is insignificant.

Netflix also offer a special channel for children. While the channel offers kid-friendly content, they are very western-centric. Muslim children that watch Netflix are exposed to values and

Volume: 5 Issues: 29 [June, 2020] pp. 19 - 33] Journal of Islamic, Social, Economics and Development (JISED) eISSN: 0128-1755 Journal website: www.jised.com cultures that are most of the time far from their own. The media is very influential in educating children about their cultures and values, and if these children are only exposed to contents that promote modern and western ideals, they will no longer be familiar with indigenous stories and sensibilities that are available in the more conventional broadcast and cable television.

Therefore, while streaming services offer more options and flexibility to the media audience, it is threatening local cultures and religious values. Children growing up with highly western content will undeniably consider the values offered on these media platforms as normal and customary. Muslims who are exposed to explicit content on a daily basis will eventually become desensitized and will probably be accepting of values that are totally against the Islamic teaching such as pre-marital sex and homosexuality. While these concerns are old, streaming media intensifies them because of the lack of control and gatekeeping that can contain the irreverent western cultural influx.

Conclusion The Malaysian government’s policy on institutionalizing Islam by culturing a modern and progressive application of Islam that goes beyond traditional rituals has indeed been the main driving force in the Islamization of the Malaysian media Industry. By exploring the economic potential of Islam as a way of life, the government was successful in positioning Islam within global commercialism. The state’s consistent and continuous manufacturing of the new modern Malay Muslim middle class that make up the majority of the local consumer market further contribute to this development. This group of Malay Muslims are not only consuming the Islamic products and services, they are also providing them. This creates profitable cycles of production and consumption of commercial Islam. This group of middle class are trained to be religious, knowledgeable and entrepreneurial at the same time. They persistently find ways to become pious yet affluent Muslims. Improving the Muslim economy is Dakwah and Jihad. Engaging in Islamic industries provide material and spiritual gratification.

The rise of new media technologies has certainly affected this dynamic. Being modern and middle class facilitated the Malay Muslims acceptance of these technologies. They were educated and affluent enough to easily own and use these media. On one hand, the new media had opened up the world to them. They are now learning, understanding, and adopting new cultures. On the other hand, some of these cultures are against the Islamic values and are causing confusion and even a clash among the Muslims. Social Media for example is a very powerful platform that enables the Muslim Malays to be come more political, knowledgeable and even entrepreneurial. However, it also promotes cultures of materialism, narcissism, radicalism and even secularism.

This article focused on three new media forms, which are social media, applications and streaming media. All these media offers the Malay Muslims positive and negative implications. However, can a Muslim focus more on the benefits or at least, find a balance? Social media and apps especially are consuming the everyday life. Social Media apps like Facebook, Whatsapp and Instagram are defining the lives of billions of Muslims. Will these Muslims be able to wisely use these apps to submit to their creator or will these apps bring them further away from the basic tenets of Islam such as modesty, submission and humility? New media technologies are not culturally sensitive. Rather, they are bias. These media forms are postmodern inventions that are meant for specific use. The streaming media for example is

Volume: 5 Issues: 29 [June, 2020] pp. 19 - 33] Journal of Islamic, Social, Economics and Development (JISED) eISSN: 0128-1755 Journal website: www.jised.com particularly capitalistic. It is meant to create audiences that are very much consumed in commercial media content. Audiences are spoiled for choices, they are able to access unlimited media content. Streaming media companies are competing to produce content and in the attempt to further attract and satisfy the audiences, they create content of pleasures, escapisms and spectacles that bring the audiences further away from the realities of their own lives. Instead, the audiences become seduced to the lives they see in the media, the lives that most often celebrate the secular western cultures.

Thus, while the new media are highly individualized and audiences are now users who have power to control their media and even produce their own content, the fundamental impact of these media is still cultural. This article argued that issues of cultural imperialism and western global media control are even more evident now then before. The world is now more connected and is virtually without boundary. Traditional media controls and protectionist initiatives such as censorship and media regulations are no longer effective. So how can local or indigenous cultures protect itself? This is something media scholars, cultural leaders and concerned citizens need to discuss about. For one, audiences must be equipped with culturally sensitive media literacy competencies so that they are able to truly become effective media users who are able to wisely manage their media use while at the same time able to be true to their own local beliefs and identities.

Acknowledgement This paper is funded by the International Islamic University Malaysia’s Research Management Centre under the IIUM Research Acculturation Grant Scheme (Project ID: I-RAGS18-002- 0003).

Volume: 5 Issues: 29 [June, 2020] pp. 19 - 33] Journal of Islamic, Social, Economics and Development (JISED) eISSN: 0128-1755 Journal website: www.jised.com

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