HONG KONG — An ad shown on the BBC and CNN channels portrays a Caucasian couple frolicking in a paradise on Earth, enjoying jungle greens filtered through dancing sunlight, scantily clad on a pristine golden beach undisturbed except by turtle tracks, snorkeling through vivid clear blue underwater life, visiting old Chinese and Hindu temples, dancing with colorfully costumed natives, shopping until they drop in a modern mall and eating local food. There is a catchy tune: "Malaysia, truly Asia."

Yes, Malaysia has many of the blessings of a paradise. It is a rich fertile land producing an array of commodities including rice, rubber, palm oil, timber as well as oil and gas. Its well-educated 27 million people of Malay, Chinese and Indian origins live comfortably in a country whose area is 15 percent smaller than Japan. But today Malaysia resembles paradise after the Fall — and human beings are tearing it apart.

A few decades ago the problem was race that pitted the richer Chinese against the majority Malays. Today it is the politics of religion and, in particular, who can use the name "Allah."