Ideology and utopia: a study in relation to Malay Muslim in Singapore

Abstract

This article seeks to discuss the main thesis of ideology and utopia and its traits. It also examines the applicability and its impacts of these main thesis in relation to the issues concerning the Malay Muslim community in Singapore in the current post-colonial context. This is mainly a theoretical article based on the contemporary literature in relation to the topic. The article shows the dichotomy of ideology and utopia, in that an ideology is a set of ideas that conceal the present by attempting to comprehend it in terms of the past, while a utopia is a set of ideas that transcend the present and is oriented towards the future. The study also reveals that instead of bringing a positive consequence to the Malay Muslim community, this mode of thinking brings mostly negative consequences to the growth of community in Singapore. In conclusion, it can be said that these theories are more relevant to the present Sri Lankan context where the Muslims are a minority.