Forty years ago, most Malays were still relatively fun-loving, easy-going and tolerant. Who would have thought that 10 years later, the strict band of conservative Islam would dare to show its ugly face in Malaysian society?

Some people claim that it was imported by students who were sent to the middle-east to study. Others disagree, and claim that it was a Saudi export, which did more damage. Perhaps, it is a combination of the two.

You may disagree, but Saudi oil money speaks louder than our respect for the federal constitution, at least, for some Malaysian Muslims. Saudi oil money, dumped into many charities, mosques and madrasahs, probably brings with it an unwritten clause that their strict interpretation of the Quran and hadith must be adhered to .

The voices of moderate Malaysian Muslims pale beside the influence that Saudi oil money brings. The collective hopes of ordinary Malaysians for a multi-cultural Malaysia and a place where women are respected are slowly being destroyed; all because some of us are attracted to Saudi oil money, and cannot get enough of it.

The first tell-tale signs that conservative Islam had assumed a vice-like grip on Malay society 30 years ago were in women’s clothing and common events like weddings and birthdays.

Women donned the tudung, and some wore it, not because they wanted to, but because of peer pressure and because refusing to wear one, would stop their career progression.

Not everyone is as vocal and determined as the former international trade and industry minister Rafidah Aziz, who could outspeak and outstare anyone who challenged her to wear the tudung, and threatened that she would not be promoted if she did not comply.

Thirty years ago, the sight of a woman in a burqa in KL, was rare. Today, they are not unusual.

A Malay lawyer, who studied at Universiti Malaya and trained under the late Professor Mohd Ibrahim and Dr Mehrun Siraj, said, “I’m all for women making choices as to how they wish to dress and identify themselves; but when they scream, ‘This (covering up) is what Islam says you must do. It is my religious right’, that makes me angry.

“Head teachers despair, and tell me about confrontations with their students, when they tell them that school uniform policy dictates that they cannot cover their face.

“In Mecca, women are not allowed to cover their faces whilst performing the pilgrimage. They abide by these rules, but refuse to uncover their faces in the classroom.”

Malay culture is not spared. One elderly couple said that in the olden days, Malay weddings were enjoyable events, to celebrate the union of two people. The kampung Malay wedding was an all-day affair with people dropping-in, throughout the day, to eat and greet the couple. When the wedding formalities were done, people would dare to joget.

Opportunities to flaunt their wealth

Today, weddings are opportunities for people to flaunt their wealth, and dances are only commonplace in society weddings, in the cities.

One person said, “Five-star hotels appear to be hotbeds for Muslims to rebel against conservative Islam. There are dances at Muslim weddings in five-star hotels, and couples committing adultery, also in five-star hotels, who do not get a visit from the moral police.”

A Malay teenager said, “I remember one birthday, when I was given Barbie dolls and a ‘Bratz make-up doll’, to practice how to apply make-up. My mother’s relatives scolded her, for allowing me to ‘idol worship’. She threw out my collection of dolls.

“My cousin, whose birthday falls on Dec 25, cannot help having a mock Christmas tree with all her birthday presents under the tree. She posted a photo of the tree on Facebook, and was attacked for being Christian.”

A Bangladeshi Muslim living in Malaysia, said, “I was told to scrub off the mendhi painted on my hands, because it was unacceptable, but my Malay friends were allowed to put inai on theirs.

“Both are henna, but I was warned that ‘Bangladeshis are doing Islam wrong, because they mix religion with culture’.”

Telling women how to dress, and working on children’s minds, is a means of control. They both function in the same way as Saudi petro-oil dollars; “You spread our extreme message, and we’ll scratch your back”. The scary thing is that Saudi petro-money is a global export.

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog , Twitter .