ABSTRACT
Almost out of breath, I ascend the final narrow staircase of an unremarkable building in Gombak, on the outskirts of Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur. My anonymous contact has assured me over the phone that I have arrived at the Hauzah Imam Ali ar-Ridha Centre, the home of the Kuala Lumpur Shia community. Framed pictures of Koranic verses have led me up the stairs to the top floor, but on the final part, an iron grill door blocks the way. I call my contact; he calls the imam inside, who opens the door and welcomes me in. The imam and the other community members gathered there take a moment to gauge their new visitor. Too often, their space has been invaded. The rooms are already vaguely familiar to me. Videos of the premises are on YouTube. Someone filmed a raid by religious authorities in 2010. Snippets of the raid have been uploaded by both members of the Shia community to gain support and by regime-allied groups that want to instil fear. Shia Islam is illegal in Malaysia. The National Fatwa Muzakarah Committee declared all Islamic teachings other than “Sunnah Wal Jamaah” (Sunni Islam) to be against Islamic law in 1996. The Home Ministry declared Shia Islam as illegal, citing both this fatwa as well as “national security”.
