Hindu Temples, Cow’s Heads and Malay Culture

The Malaysian authorities have arrested twelve of the persons involved in using a cow's head during recent recent protests against the construction of a Hindu temple. Six have been charged with unlawful assembly and six with sedition against the state.

Their defense –the cow was meant to symbolize the government's stupidity. The defense lawyer is quoted as saying, "If you look at the Malay culture, the cow is synonymous to stupidity and [the action was] not meant to insult other religions."

The underlying tensions between the Malay and Tamil communities are real. The friction will surely manifest itself in other ways unless real steps to move away from race based politics are implemented.

I hope I am wrong.