Memali Siege
Date 19 November 1985 Location Kampung Memali, Baling, Kedah, Malaysia 5°48′57″N 100°53′40″E / 5.815754°N 100.894549°E / 5.815754; 100.894549 Result Malaysian Government victory Ibrahim Mahmud killed. Mass arrest of Ibrahim's followers.
Belligerents
Government of Malaysia Royal Malaysian Police	Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party
Commanders and leaders
Mahathir Mohamad Musa Hitam Mohammed Hanif Omar	Ibrahim Mahmud †
Strength
200 policemen	400 followers Unknown number of armed villagers[1]
Casualties and losses
4 killed[2]	14 killed[2] 159 arrested[3]
class=notpageimage| Location within Malaysia Show map of Malaysia Memali Incident (Peninsular Malaysia) Show map of Peninsular Malaysia

Part of a series on the
History of Malaysia
Prehistoric period Paleolithic  Lenggong Valley c. 2,000,0000 BCE  Mansuli Valley 235,000 BCE Mesolithic  Niah cultures 65,000–40,000 BCE Neolithic  Bewah man/woman 16,000 BCE  Perak man/woman 11,000–200 BCE  Neolithic Klang 500 – 200 BCE
Early kingdoms Ancient Kedah <100 BCE Chi Tu 100 BCE–642 CE Langkasuka 100 BCE–1474 CE Gangga Negara c. 100 CE–1025 Pan Pan 424–775 Old Kedah 170–1135 Old Pahang 449–1454 Srivijaya 700s–1025 Majapahit 1300s
Rise of Muslim states Kedah Sultanate 1136–present Samudera Pasai Sultanate 1267–1521 Brunei Sultanate 1368–present Malacca Sultanate 1402–1511 Sulu Sultanate 1450–1899 Pahang Sultanate 1470–1623 Aceh Sultanate 1496–1903 Pattani Sultanate 1516– 1902 Johor Sultanate 1528–present Sarawak Sultanate 1599–1641 Selangor Sultanate 1766–present Besut Kingdom 1780–1899 Setul Kingdom 1808–1916 Reman Kingdom 1810–1902 Kubang Pasu Kingdom 1839–1864
Colonial period Portuguese Malacca 1511–1641 Dutch–Portuguese War 1601–1661 Dutch Malacca 1641–1824 Pahang Kingdom 1770–1881 Straits Settlements 1786–1946 Siamese invasion of Kedah 1821–1826 Anglo-Dutch Treaty 1824 Burney Treaty 1826 Naning War 1831–1832 Kingdom of Sarawak 1841–1946 Separation of Perlis from Kedah 1843 Crown Colony of Labuan 1848–1946 Pahang Civil War 1857–1863 Larut Wars 1861–1874 Klang War 1867–1874 Pangkor Treaty 1874 Perak War 1875–1876 British Malaya / Borneo 1874–1946 Jementah Civil War 1879 North Borneo 1882–1946 Pahang Uprising 1891–1895 Mat Salleh Rebellion 1894–1905 Federated Malay States 1895–1946 Anglo-Siamese Treaty 1909 Unfederated Malay States 1909–1946 Battle of Penang 1914 Kelantan rebellion 1915
World War II Japanese occupation of Malaya / Borneo 1941–1945 Malayan campaign 1941–1942 Bornean Campaign 1941–1942 Battle of Muar 1942 Parit Sulong Massacre 1942 Battle of Singapore 1942 Sook Ching 1942 Syburi 1942 Sandakan Death Marches 1942–1945 Si Rat Malai 1943–1945 Jesselton revolt 1943–1944
Formative period BMA of Malaya/Borneo 1945–1946 Crown Colony of N. Borneo/Sarawak 1946–1963 Anti-cession movement 1946–1963 Malayan Union 1946–1948 Federation of Malaya 1948–1963 Malayan Emergency 1948–1960 Baling Talks 1955
Independence period Malayan Independence 1957 Singapore self-governance 1959 ISA 1960 1960–2012 Sarawak Insurgency 1962–1990 North Borneo self-governance 1963 Konfrontasi 1963–1966 Sarawak self-governance 1963 Formation of Malaysia 1963 Singapore in Malaysia 1963–1965 ASEAN Declaration 1967 Second communist insurgency 1968–1989
Modern period 13 May incident 1969 National Operations Council 1969–1971 Declaration of Rukun Negara 1970 New Economic Policy 1971–1990 Federal Territory of KL 1974 1977 Kelantan Emergency 1977 Pedra Branca dispute 1979–2008 South China Sea dispute (Spratly) 1980–present Dawn Raid 1981 Federal Territory of Labuan 1984 Memali incident 1985 Operation Lalang 1987 Constitutional crisis 1987–1988 Peace Agreement of Hat Yai 1989 Royal Immunity Amendments 1993 Asian financial crisis 1997–1998 Reformasi Movement 1998–2022 2008 Malaysian Opposition Wave 2008 H1N1 flu pandemic 2009–2010 Sedition Dragnet 2014 1MDB scandal 2015–present Pakatan Harapan takeover 2018 COVID-19 pandemic 2020–2022 Political crisis 2020–2022 Bornean Amendment 2021–2023 Green Wave 2022–present
Incidents Brunei revolt 1962–1966 North Borneo dispute (Philippine militant attacks) 1962–present Singapore race riots 1964 Brunei's Limbang claim 1967–2009 Penang Hartal riot 1967 13 May Incident 1969 Ligitan and Sipadan dispute 1969–2002 Kuala Lumpur flash floods 1971 Malaysian haze crisis 1972–present AIA building hostage crisis 1975 National Monument bombing 1975 Campbell Shopping Complex fire 1976 Sabah Air GAF Nomad crash 1976 Japan Airlines Flight 715 incident 1977 MH653 incident 1977 1985 Lahad Datu ambush 1985 Memali Incident 1985 Sabah Emergency 1986 Ming Court Affair 1987 Penang terminal bridge collapse 1988 Taufiqiah Al-Khairiah madrasa fire 1989 Bright Sparklers disaster 1991 Highland Towers collapse 1993 Genting landslide 1995 MH2133 incident 1995 Pos Dipang mudflow 1996 Tropical Storm Greg 1996 1998–1999 Malaysia Nipah virus outbreak 1998–1999 2000 Sipadan kidnappings 2000 Al-Ma'unah incident 2000 Sauk Siege 2000 2001 Kampung Medan riots 2001 2002 Taman Hillview landslide 2002 Indian Ocean tsunami 2004 2006–2007 Southeast Asian floods 2006–2007 Bukit Gantang bus crash 2007 Bukit Antarabangsa landslide 2008 2009 swine flu pandemic in Malaysia 2009 Attacks against places of worship 2010 Cameron Highlands bus crash 2010 Hulu Langat landslide 2011 Genting Highlands bus crash 2013 MH370 incident 2014 MH17 incident 2014 2014–15 Malaysia floods 2014–2015 Sabah earthquake 2015 2015 Plaza Low Yat riot 2015 Movida Bar grenade attack 2016 Kim Jong-nam's Assassination 2017 Darul Quran madrasa fire 2017 2018 Subang Temple riot 2018 2020-21 Malaysia floods 2021 LRT train collision 2021 2021-22 Malaysia floods 2021–2022 2022 Batang Kali landslide 2022 2023 Elmina plane crash 2023 2024 Lumut helicopters crash 2024 2024 Ulu Tiram police station attack 2024
By topic Communications Constitutional Economic Immigration Legal Military
By region Kedah Kuala Lumpur Penang George Town Sabah Sarawak
Malaysia portal

The Memali Incident (Malay: Peristiwa Memali) or code-named as Operasi Angkara ("Operation Cause") and Operasi Hapus ("Operation Destroy") was a major incident that occurred in the remote village of Kampung Memali, Baling in the Malaysian state of Kedah on 19 November 1985.

A team of 200 policemen, under orders from the Deputy Prime Minister Musa Hitam, laid siege to kampung (village) houses in Memali, near Baling in Kedah. The houses were occupied by an Islamic sect of about 400 people led by Ibrahim Mahmud a.k.a. Ibrahim Libya. The siege resulted in the deaths of 14 villagers and 4 policemen.

The Memali Incident followed severely strained relationships between UMNO and PAS, two major political parties in Malaysia. Some PAS leaders had concluded that UMNO members were apostate.^[2] In 1981, Hadi Awang, (who was then PAS state commissioner for Terengganu, and has been PAS President since 2002^[2]) claimed that UMNO perpetuated the unIslamic rule of colonialism, and therefore the struggle of PAS and its supporters against UMNO is jihad,^{[2] [4] [5]} and that those who died in the struggle are al-shahid (martyrs).^[2][5] In the wake of Hadi's claims, there was a serious rift in the Malay Muslim community. In Besut, Terengganu for example, communities were split to the extent that communal prayers were done separately for UMNO and for PAS congregations.^[2][6]

Ibrahim was a local religious teacher who had received part of his education at the University of Tripoli in Libya, hence his nickname Ibrahim Libya. The police wanted to arrest Ibrahim Mahmud under the Internal Security Act, for creating discord and disharmony, but he refused to give himself up. Ibrahim was also accused of harbouring two brothers, Yusof Che Mit and Ramli Che Mit, who were fugitives. Revered by the village folks, who called him Ustaz Ibrahim, they vowed to defend him to the death.

Ibrahim attended Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Weng in Baling before furthering his studies in Islamic studies at Sekolah Agama Ittifaqiah, Kg Carok Putih, Weng and later Pondok Al-Khariah, Pokok Sena, Seberang Perai. Ibrahim Mahmud attended the University of Tripoli in Libya. He had also studied in India and at Al-Azhar University in Cairo.

Upon his return, he worked as a preacher with Pusat Islam. He appeared on television to lecture on topics of Islam. Allegedly, Ibrahim was involved in the 1974 Baling Demonstrations along with Anwar Ibrahim. Ibrahim Mahmud's politics drifted towards those of PAS. His close association with PAS worried the government of Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. In 1978, Ibrahim contested the elections for the seat of Bayu-Baling as a PAS candidate. Ibrahim polled 5,081 votes as opposed to the Barisan Nasional candidate who polled 6,169 votes. In 1982, Ibrahim again contested for the same seat but lost by 100 votes.

Pusat Islam looked into his teachings and thereafter banned him from lecturing in the media or to give lectures in mosques and suraus throughout the nation. Pusat Islam also started making allegations of 'deviationist acts' against him. Ibrahim was called a fanatic who challenged the integrity of the Government.^[7]

The police action left 14 civilians and 4 policemen dead.^[2] The villagers were armed with a few guns, machetes, sharpened bamboo rods, and other rudimentary weapons. The police used heavy vehicles.^[1] At the height of the assault, some villagers, men and women, came out in the open in a state of frenzy and hysteria.^{[citation needed]} Deputy Prime Minister Musa Hitam, who was also Home Affairs Minister, announced to the media that 14 'criminals' had been killed in Kampung Memali in clashes with security forces.

Police detained 159 people, including women and children. Thirty-six persons involved in the incident were arrested under the Internal Security Act in January 1986 but later released in June.^[3]

The government published a white paper^[1] and showed an official video recording of the incident on national television. The White Paper on the incident said the extremists tried to spread deviationist teachings and disrupt public order.

The Malaysian Government released video footage culled from police tapes of the operation on prime time television on TV1, the primary government television station.^[8] The video showed villagers armed with parangs, slingshots and Molotov cocktails taunting and protesting the actions of the Federal Reserve Unit troopers. The video also showed a mortally wounded police sergeant writhing in pain while awaiting help.

In February 2002, TV1 showed the confessions of a man involved in the Memali incident. The Information Ministry's Zainuddin Maidin explained that the man would relate how he was influenced to participate.^[9] Zainuddin said the intention of the broadcast was to show the truth.^{[citation needed]} PAS was concerned over plans to air the video clip as it may have implications on a pending court case involving the families of those killed in the incident.^[10] A PAS official said they were not worried about the political impact of the video clip because PAS believes the people would not blindly accept it.^{[citation needed]}

PAS called those who died as al-shahid, those who have achieved shahid (martyrs).^[2] Ibrahim Mahmud is called al-Shahid Ibrahim. This was in stark contrast to the Government's stand of calling those who dies as "criminals".^[11] The Kedah State Fatwa Council took the dramatic step of issuing a Fatwa saying that those who died were not al-shahid as claimed by PAS.^[12] The National Fatwa Council on 3 February 1986 also ruled that the deaths of Ibrahim Libya and his followers were not martyrdom. ^[13]

Al-Mau'nah founder and leader, Mohamed Amin Mohamed Razali was allegedly present during part of the Memali Incident.^[14][15] The incident became part of his motive for the Al-Ma'unah establishment, to overthrow the Malaysian government.

Kamaruzaman Yusoff views that the "Memali Incident entailed the interpretation and materialisation of the concepts of jihād and syahid. A re-interpretation of these two concepts has manifested itself in the recent Al-Mau'nah Incident and the activities of the Kumpulan Militan Malaysia (Malaysian Militant Group) that tried to effect political changes through unconstitutional means; and this is certainly in contrast to PAS' willingness to participate in the Malaysian electoral process."^[16]

At the time of the incident, media reported Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was away on a visit to China, and identified Musa as the Acting Prime Minister. That story remained unchanged until 2014, nearly 29 years later, when Musa revealed that Dr. Mahathir was in fact still in his office in Malaysia. Musa categorically denied he was the Acting Prime Minister at that time.^[17] In response, Dr. Mahathir confirmed that, contrary to past news reports, he was in Malaysia on the day of the siege.^[18] Following these revelations, PAS called for formation of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to probe the Memali incident and to retract the white paper on the incident, but this was rejected by Parliament.^[11] As of April 2014, survivors were continuing to seek an explanation of the incident from the government.^[3]

A fund known as the Memali Fund was set up to collect donation for the next-of-kin of Ibrahim Libya and those who died during the Memali Incident. PAS through Harakah had urged generous donations to the fund to help the families of Ibrahim and his men which the party regarded as martyrs. A PAS member lodged a police report against alleged misappropriation.^[19] This led to a public outcry and prompted PAS president Fadzil Noor to investigate.^[20]

• Siege of Mecca
• Siege of Lal Masjid
• Operation Blue Star
• Raba'a Massacre
• Waco siege