by Richard S. Ehrlich

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Anwar Ibrahim, who once warned that a Waco, Texas-style spiritual sex cult could threaten Malaysia, has fallen from becoming the next prime minister and now languishes in jail charged as a corrupt sodomist, allegedly bloodied by police brutality.

In descending from power to prison, Anwar joins a long list of Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad's perceived "deviant" enemies.

Anwar, who was Mahathir's deputy prime minister until being fired on September 2, is currently in detention under Malaysia's dreaded Internal Security Act (ISA) which allows imprisonment for up to two years without trial.

Ironically, Anwar supported Mahathir's use of the same ISA in a case which also involved alleged sex crimes in 1994.

In that case, which also shocked Malaysians, Mahathir invoked the ISA against Ashaari Muhammad who led a growing Islamic sect called Al-Arqam.

Anwar joined the chorus against Ashaari and compared the sect to the late American Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh, who died alongside his followers in a fire during a confrontation against the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Defending Mahathir's crackdown against Ashaari's sect, which claimed tens of thousands of members, Anwar said in a 1994 news conference, "Our position is this: do we need to wait until another Koresh or Jim Jones appears, to take some actions? Or do we deal with the situation now?"

Anwar said "women are treated like sex slaves" in Ashaari's cult.

Faced with possible imprisonment, Ashaari eventually surrendered, apologized and allowed Mahathir's government to emerge victorious.

Mahathir's Moral Order

During his 17 years in power, Mahathir has openly feuded with other foes, large and small, creating enemies and deftly disarming them or, in some cases, befriending them again.

Mahathir, 73, challenged virtually the entire Western world by claiming that after communism was defeated, Islam had become West's next target because it threatens other religions and systems of law and order.

Homosexuals came under fire when his government blasted gays appearing on television.

The prime minister has condemned pornography on the Internet, and mocked kids with punk-rock haircuts.

Jews felt under fire last year when Mahathir cited international financier George Soros's religion as relevant to his role in moving the world's money markets and currency values.

Underneath many of the attacks, however, is a less well-known side of Mahathir's sometimes seemingly contradictory positions.

For example, his government claimed Islam was being undermined by an internal division between mainstream Sunnis and troublesome Shi'ite "fanatics."

Despite blasting Shi'ites, Mahathir then went to Shi'ite-majority Iran in 1993 to sign one of the biggest contracts by a Southeast Asian nation in the Persian Gulf, and invested in a hotel, construction, a factory and other projects in Iran's Free Trade Zone.

When meting out punishment, meanwhile, Mahathir can be extremely harsh.

Whippings are mandated under Malaysian law. Drug dealers are executed.

Mahathir was also seen by many as supporting the possible introduction of laws to amputate limbs and stone adulterers to death, which the opposition Islamic Party, also known as Pas, favored in 1992 in their stronghold state of Kelantan.

But in some cases, Mahathir's wrath has been in concert with the United States and the international community. Malaysia joined the condemnation of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.

He also challenged Malaysian tradition and nationalism by pushing for schools to teach more English so the country, a former British colony, could best do business abroad.

Mahathir's other battles have included loud diplomatic arguments with England, Australia, Singapore and Thailand.

Shortly after cracking down on the Ashaari cult, Mahathir banned public contracts with British businesses for nearly seven months after The Sunday Times of London, owned by Rupert Murdoch, reported a British company was allegedly preparing to offer Mahathir a 50,000 US dollar bribe to win a construction contract.

Mahathir blasted the story as "lies" and blocked several British companies from bidding on projects linked to Kuala Lumpur's new international airport.

Mahathir has also expressed belief in conspiracies.

He mentioned an unidentified "third country" which, in 1991, was allegedly trying to help the eastern state of Sabah in a failed attempt to break away from Malaysia.

Another conspiracy theory surfaced on September 26, when Mahathir claimed Anwar's supporters were staging demonstrations simply to avoid Anwar's trial on sodomy and corruption allegations.

Mahathir added, "He (Anwar) feels if there are riots like those in Indonesia, the government will not be able to function properly.

"Maybe the rioting will lead to looting and the government will have to step down or be toppled," Mahathir said.

His conspiracy theories appeared again on Wednesday (September 30) when he suggested Anwar's bloody wounds and black-eye were self-inflicted, instead of being the result of a police beating.

Mahathir said Anwar "will get plenty of mileage if he showed he was abused by police."

Anwar, however, told a Kuala Lumpur court that police beat him into bloodied unconsciousness on the first night of his detention on September 20.

Anwar warned, "Malaysians should be made aware of the deterioration of their fundamental liberties and the dictatorial acts of Dr. Mahathir."

Who Is Safe From Mahathir?

Malaysians who were following the case with surprise and confusion were further stunned when they read of the beating in local newspapers.

"All Malaysians are asking how they could be safe when the former deputy prime minister could be brutally assaulted while in police custody," said opposition Democratic Action party leader Lim Kit Siang.

Lim is also a long-time foe of Mahathir.

In 1991, when Mahathir claimed the West was maligning Malaysia's image, Lim said the prime minister's opinion could "herald a new campaign of political paranoia and hatred against imaginary foes."

Malaysia's Bar Council also said it was outraged over the alleged police brutality, and demanded Anwar be released.

"The assault reveals the inhumane and utter lawlessness of the action of the detaining authority," it said in a statement.

The US State Department asked Malaysia to investigate the alleged police beatings.

Meanwhile, the two men who recently "confessed" to being sodomized by Anwar retracted their statements, and launched an appeal of their imprisonment. Their lawyers insisted the confessions were extracted under duress.

Anwar now awaits a date for his formal trial. If found guilty, he could face 20 years in prison and a whipping.

But Mahathir, buoyed by a massive election victory in 1995 for a fresh five-year term, is seen by many as positioning himself for the next polls which he can call anytime between now and the middle of the year 2000.

Despite boosting Anwar over the years as his heir apparent, their sudden estrangement has not been fully explained.

Blasting Anwar, Mahathir told his United Malays National Organization party members on September 25, "We cannot have a leader who is easily swayed by his lust.

"If we have a leader who is carried away by his lust, he can be easily used by foreign powers," the prime minister added.

In addition to the threat of Anwar as a potential challenger to Mahathir's power, Anwar also alleges corruption within the government in ways similar to charges made against Indonesia's former leader, Suharto.

Anwar said Mahathir "is hungry for power and money, and wants to use the remaining time that he has in power to strengthen the interests of his family, and the interest of his cronies.

"They were not confident...that I could be trusted to agree to their ways of monopolizing wealth through fraud and violence, of attaining wealth in the interest of a number of groups.

"That is why they have launched this plot that is truly evil towards me," Anwar added in a video recorded just before his detention.