Formerly an Islamic student activist, he was brought into the government by Prime Minister Mahathir in 1982 to serve as minister of finance. Thereafter, fiscal bodies began adopting religious adjectives. Ibrahim's recent downfall, however, is indicative of the real place of Islam in the halls of power. It is to serve. He was not, and now sits in jail.
Religion is an aspect of Malay identity and the state is the guardian of all things Malaysian.
This relationship is beyond challenge. The arabesques of the Petronas Towers are decorative, not fundamental. The Mahathir regime is a technocratic sultanate. The proper channels of authority must be respected. Any questioning of the regime is an act of subversion.