Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar

King warns Malaysians against taking advantage of ‘Allah’ socks scandal after petrol bomb attack, death threats

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In a statement on Wednesday, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, who recently took the throne, said there was no need for any party to continue fuelling anger and called on Malaysians to learn from the incident and strive to strengthen unity. “Persistent anger brings no benefit. All parties, especially community leaders, must act with maturity,” the king … Read more

Malaysia mini-mart executives charged over ‘Allah’ socks

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A Malaysian court charged five executives from a mini-mart chain and its supplier with hurting religious feelings on Tuesday after several pairs of socks emblazoned with the word “Allah” were put on sale in one of its stores. The case had drawn a rare royal rebuke from Malaysia’s king, who called for an investigation and … Read more

Malaysia’s king slams mini-mart chain in rare royal rebuke over ‘Allah’ socks

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Malaysia’s king on Tuesday condemned a convenience store chain and called for an investigation after several pairs of socks emblazoned with “Allah”, which means God in Arabic, were found for sale in one of its stores. Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar said in a Facebook post that “strict action should be taken against any party found guilty” … Read more

Malaysia has a new king, now will politics finally take a back seat?

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“I, with all my ability, will at all times preserve Islam, and stand firmly for fair administration and peace in the country,” he said as he read the oath of office. While Malaysia’s king is limited by the constitution and traditionally seen as more of a ceremonial ruler who is above politics, recent turmoil has … Read more

Malaysia’s ‘vocal’ new king to bring scrutiny to Anwar’s government amid clamour for political stability

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“There are 222 of you in parliament. There are over 30 million [Malaysians] outside. I’m not with you, I’m with them,” the ruler said as a warning to the country’s lawmakers in an interview with Singapore’s The Straits Times newspaper published in December. Political reality over the last five years or so has led to … Read more

As Malaysia’s next king takes up Singapore high-speed rail cause, is it a case of too costly, too late?

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The ruler reportedly said the project remained viable if financed privately and should be realigned to run through the troubled Forest City mega-project, in which he is a key investor, and that the cost would not have ballooned so much if the government had not been “on-off-on-off” in its decision on the HSR. Malaysia’s decision … Read more