So, before stepping down, Mahathir went so far as to declare Malaysia a de facto Muslim state. Eyebrows were raised and questions were asked about the lengths to which Mahathir would go to counteract the Islamist appeal.
但其结果只是再次坚定了马来民族统一机构把自己描绘成伊斯兰信徒的决心。由此，马哈蒂尔在辞职前做出了一个大胆的决定，宣布马来西亚为事实上的穆斯林国家。此举引起了一场轩然大波，人们纷纷质问马哈蒂尔抵制伊斯兰诉求的政策还要坚持多久。