Islam and Religious Expression in Malaysia

Islam and Religious Expression in Malaysia PDF Author: Azizuddin Mohd Sani
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789814881357
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 246

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book attempts to analyse the concept of religious expression vis-à-vis freedom of speech in Malaysia from the philosophical, political and theoretical perspectives. It begins by discussing the major sources of religious expression that are firmly rooted in the societal and religious beliefs, constitution and legislation of the country. It also examines multiple facets of the Islamization policy in the country and to what extent such policy affects the exercise of domestic religious expression. The problems and challenges of domestic religious expression, theoretically and practically, will also be examined including the issues of radicalization and terrorism. After a change of power from the Barisan Nasional (BN) to Pakatan Harapan (PH) in 2018, this book attempts to explain PH's approach in dealing with the issue of Islam and religious expression in Malaysia. Lastly, this book intends to identify and observe how Malaysian society and the state react to the issue of religious expression. "Prof. Azizuddin makes an eloquent case for robust freedom of expression that is consistent with Malaysian conditions. This is a most welcome and important book that could and should have a major impact. It is a timely and thoughtful examination of the complex and serious issue of Islam vis-à-vis religious expression in Malaysia. It also illustrates the transition from the restrictive-stability approach of the Barisan Nasional administration to an open-freedom approach of the Pakatan Harapan government." -- Dato' Saifuddin Abdullah, Minister of Communications and Multimedia, Malaysia "Racial and religious hatred are examples of the many difficulties to which freedom of expression can give rise. These difficulties are likely to be especially serious in multicultural and multireligious societies, such as Malaysia. In such contexts there is a need to weigh the importance of freedom of expression for an effective democracy against the need to maintain social order and the conditions of political civility that are also essential to democratic dialogue. This is the challenge that Prof. Azizuddin addresses in his ambitious new book." -- John Horton, Emeritus Professor of Politics, Keele University, United Kingdom "This important book is a must read for anyone interested in understanding the nexus between rights and religion in Malaysia. Not only does it trace the contestation over religious expression, it also provides a valuable analysis of the expansion of the religious bureaucracy and the underlying and changing cultural responses of the Malay community to the new political terrain." -- Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate, University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute Malaysia (UoNARI-M)

Islam and Religious Expression in Malaysia

Islam and Religious Expression in Malaysia PDF Author: Azizuddin Mohd Sani
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789814881357
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 246

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book attempts to analyse the concept of religious expression vis-à-vis freedom of speech in Malaysia from the philosophical, political and theoretical perspectives. It begins by discussing the major sources of religious expression that are firmly rooted in the societal and religious beliefs, constitution and legislation of the country. It also examines multiple facets of the Islamization policy in the country and to what extent such policy affects the exercise of domestic religious expression. The problems and challenges of domestic religious expression, theoretically and practically, will also be examined including the issues of radicalization and terrorism. After a change of power from the Barisan Nasional (BN) to Pakatan Harapan (PH) in 2018, this book attempts to explain PH's approach in dealing with the issue of Islam and religious expression in Malaysia. Lastly, this book intends to identify and observe how Malaysian society and the state react to the issue of religious expression. "Prof. Azizuddin makes an eloquent case for robust freedom of expression that is consistent with Malaysian conditions. This is a most welcome and important book that could and should have a major impact. It is a timely and thoughtful examination of the complex and serious issue of Islam vis-à-vis religious expression in Malaysia. It also illustrates the transition from the restrictive-stability approach of the Barisan Nasional administration to an open-freedom approach of the Pakatan Harapan government." -- Dato' Saifuddin Abdullah, Minister of Communications and Multimedia, Malaysia "Racial and religious hatred are examples of the many difficulties to which freedom of expression can give rise. These difficulties are likely to be especially serious in multicultural and multireligious societies, such as Malaysia. In such contexts there is a need to weigh the importance of freedom of expression for an effective democracy against the need to maintain social order and the conditions of political civility that are also essential to democratic dialogue. This is the challenge that Prof. Azizuddin addresses in his ambitious new book." -- John Horton, Emeritus Professor of Politics, Keele University, United Kingdom "This important book is a must read for anyone interested in understanding the nexus between rights and religion in Malaysia. Not only does it trace the contestation over religious expression, it also provides a valuable analysis of the expansion of the religious bureaucracy and the underlying and changing cultural responses of the Malay community to the new political terrain." -- Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate, University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute Malaysia (UoNARI-M)

The Politics of Religious Expression in Malaysia

The Politics of Religious Expression in Malaysia PDF Author: Mohd. Azizuddin Mohd. Sani
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789814620321
Category : Freedom of expression
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
Religious freedom of expression remains a contentious issue in Malaysia. Even liberal proponents of freedom of speech are divided as to whether or not religious expression is part of constitutionally protected rights. What the Malaysian Constitution offers is freedom of speech including the right to religious expression. At the same time it proclaims Islam to be the official religion of the Federation. Malaysia is a multi-religious country prone to inter- and intra-group controversies, and as a rule, the government favours preventive and restrictive measures in order to elude religious strife and hate speech. The concept of freedom of religion in Malaysia is different from that in the West. Religious expression in Malaysia has been a highly contentious issue ever since the 1980s when the then-Prime minister Mahathir Mohamad embarked on his "Islamization policies" project. This paper examines recent cases of blasphemy, hate speech and the contentious "Allah" issue. The government, on one hand, tries to maintain political stability and racial harmony in Malaysia but on the other attempts to maintain the status-quo especially with regards to declaring Malaysia an "Islamic state" and imposing Islamization policies.

Law and Society in Malaysia

Law and Society in Malaysia PDF Author: Andrew Harding
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351357654
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 268

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book provides a systematic and interdisciplinary examination of law and legal institutions in Malaysia. It examines legal issues from historical, social, and political perspectives, and discusses the role of law in relation to Malaysian multiculturalism, religion, politics, and society. It shows how the Malaysian legal system is at the heart of debates about how to deal with the country's problems, which include ethnic and religious divisions, uneven and unsustainable development, and political authoritarianism; and it argues that the Malaysian legal system has much to teach other plural polities, nations within the common law tradition, and federal states.

The Politics of Islamic Law

The Politics of Islamic Law PDF Author: Iza R. Hussin
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022632348X
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 360

Get Book Here

Book Description
In The Politics of Islamic Law, Iza Hussin compares India, Malaya, and Egypt during the British colonial period in order to trace the making and transformation of the contemporary category of ‘Islamic law.’ She demonstrates that not only is Islamic law not the shari’ah, its present institutional forms, substantive content, symbolic vocabulary, and relationship to state and society—in short, its politics—are built upon foundations laid during the colonial encounter. Drawing on extensive archival work in English, Arabic, and Malay—from court records to colonial and local papers to private letters and visual material—Hussin offers a view of politics in the colonial period as an iterative series of negotiations between local and colonial powers in multiple locations. She shows how this resulted in a paradox, centralizing Islamic law at the same time that it limited its reach to family and ritual matters, and produced a transformation in the Muslim state, providing the frame within which Islam is articulated today, setting the agenda for ongoing legislation and policy, and defining the limits of change. Combining a genealogy of law with a political analysis of its institutional dynamics, this book offers an up-close look at the ways in which global transformations are realized at the local level.

Constituting Religion

Constituting Religion PDF Author: Tamir Moustafa
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108334075
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages :

Get Book Here

Book Description
Most Muslim-majority countries have legal systems that enshrine both Islam and liberal rights. While not necessarily at odds, these dual commitments nonetheless provide legal and symbolic resources for activists to advance contending visions for their states and societies. Using the case study of Malaysia, Constituting Religion examines how these legal arrangements enable litigation and feed the construction of a 'rights-versus-rites binary' in law, politics, and the popular imagination. By drawing on extensive primary source material and tracing controversial cases from the court of law to the court of public opinion, this study theorizes the 'judicialization of religion' and the radiating effects of courts on popular legal and religious consciousness. The book documents how legal institutions catalyze ideological struggles, which stand to redefine the nation and its politics. Probing the links between legal pluralism, social movements, secularism, and political Islamism, Constituting Religion sheds new light on the confluence of law, religion, politics, and society. This title is also available as Open Access.

Islam and Religious Expression in Malaysia

Islam and Religious Expression in Malaysia PDF Author: Azizuddin Mohd. Sani
Publisher: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute
ISBN: 9814881368
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 245

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book attempts to analyse the concept of religious expression vis-à-vis freedom of speech in Malaysia from the philosophical, political and theoretical perspectives. It begins by discussing the major sources of religious expression that are firmly rooted in the societal and religious beliefs, constitution and legislation of the country. It also examines multiple facets of the Islamization policy in the country and to what extent such policy affects the exercise of domestic religious expression. The problems and challenges of domestic religious expression, theoretically and practically, will also be examined including the issues of radicalization and terrorism. After a change of power from the Barisan Nasional (BN) to Pakatan Harapan (PH) in 2018, this book attempts to explain PH’s approach in dealing with the issue of Islam and religious expression in Malaysia. Lastly, this book intends to identify and observe how Malaysian society and the state react to the issue of religious expression. "Prof. Azizuddin makes an eloquent case for robust freedom of expression that is consistent with Malaysian conditions. This is a most welcome and important book that could and should have a major impact. It is a timely and thoughtful examination of the complex and serious issue of Islam vis-à-vis religious expression in Malaysia. It also illustrates the transition from the restrictive-stability approach of the Barisan Nasional administration to an open-freedom approach of the Pakatan Harapan government." -- Dato’ Saifuddin Abdullah, Minister of Communications and Multimedia, Malaysia "Racial and religious hatred are examples of the many difficulties to which freedom of expression can give rise. These difficulties are likely to be especially serious in multicultural and multireligious societies, such as Malaysia. In such contexts there is a need to weigh the importance of freedom of expression for an effective democracy against the need to maintain social order and the conditions of political civility that are also essential to democratic dialogue. This is the challenge that Prof. Azizuddin addresses in his ambitious new book." -- John Horton, Emeritus Professor of Politics, Keele University, United Kingdom "This important book is a must read for anyone interested in understanding the nexus between rights and religion in Malaysia. Not only does it trace the contestation over religious expression, it also provides a valuable analysis of the expansion of the religious bureaucracy and the underlying and changing cultural responses of the Malay community to the new political terrain." -- Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate, University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute Malaysia (UoNARI-M)

The Varieties of Religious Repression

The Varieties of Religious Repression PDF Author: Ani Sarkissian
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019934809X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 265

Get Book Here

Book Description
Religious repression--the non-violent suppression of civil and political rights--is a growing and global phenomenon. Though most often practiced in authoritarian countries, levels of religious repression nevertheless vary across a range of non-democratic regimes, including illiberal democracies and competitive authoritarian states. In The Varieties of Religious Repression, Ani Sarkissian argues that seemingly benign regulations and restrictions on religion are tools that non-democratic leaders use to repress independent civic activity, effectively maintaining their hold on power. Sarkissian examines the interaction of political competition and the structure of religious divisions in society, presenting a theory of why religious repression varies across non-democratic regimes. She also offers a new way of understanding the commonalties and differences of non-democratic regimes by focusing on the targets of religious repression. Drawing on quantitative data from more than one hundred authoritarian states, as well as case studies of sixteen countries from around the world, Sarkissian explores the varieties of repression that states impose on religious expression, association, and political activities, describing the obstacles these actions present for democratization, pluralism, and the development of an independent civil society.

Chinese Religion in Malaysia

Chinese Religion in Malaysia PDF Author: Chee-Beng Tan
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004357874
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 167

Get Book Here

Book Description
Based on long-term ethnographic study, this is the first comprehensive work on the Chinese popular religion in Malaysia. It analyses temples and communities in historical and contemporary perspective, the diversity of deities and Chinese speech groups, religious specialists and temple services, the communal significance of the Hungry Ghosts Festival, the relationship between religion and philanthropy as seen through the lens of such Chinese religious organization as shantang (benevolent halls) and Dejiao (Moral Uplifting Societies), as well as the development and transformation of Taoist Religion. Highly informative, this concise book contributes to an understanding of Chinese migration and settlement, political economy and religion, religion and identity politics as well the significance of religion to both individuals and communities.

Islam without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty

Islam without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty PDF Author: Mustafa Akyol
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393081974
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 353

Get Book Here

Book Description
“A delightfully original take on…the prospects for liberal democracy in the broader Islamic Middle East.”—Matthew Kaminski, Wall Street Journal As the Arab Spring threatens to give way to authoritarianism in Egypt and reports from Afghanistan detail widespread violence against U.S. troops and women, news from the Muslim world raises the question: Is Islam incompatible with freedom? In Islam without Extremes, Turkish columnist Mustafa Akyol answers this question by revealing the little-understood roots of political Islam, which originally included both rationalist, flexible strains and more dogmatic, rigid ones. Though the rigid traditionalists won out, Akyol points to a flourishing of liberalism in the nineteenth-century Ottoman Empire and the unique “Islamo-liberal synthesis” in present-day Turkey. As he powerfully asserts, only by accepting a secular state can Islamic societies thrive. Islam without Extremes offers a desperately needed intellectual basis for the reconcilability of Islam and liberty.

Thaipusam in Malaysia

Thaipusam in Malaysia PDF Author: Carl Vadivella Belle
Publisher: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute
ISBN: 9814695750
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 449

Get Book Here

Book Description
"This is an important book by Carl Vadivella Belle which argues that Hinduism and its manifestations in the diaspora has important significance in binding not only the Hindus but also encourages 'others' to revisit Hinduism, especially in a multicultural society like Malaysia which is dominated by communally infused discourses structured upon race and religion."— Ajaya K. Sahoo, Editor, Journal of South Asian Diaspora "Dr Belle weaves his magical journey over nearly half a century, offering poignant and potent insights into the socio economic and spiritual realities of Hindus in Malaysia. Numerous books maybe available on Tamil Traditions and Hinduism in Malaysia, but none seem to have succinctly and encapsulated the very essence and heart of these veritable subjects. I would unreservedly recommend this book, to all those interested in matters pertaining to Indians and Hinduism in Malaysia."— Professor Bala Shanmugam, Academic Director, Federation University, Malaysia "This is a work of immense inspiration. Combining personal pilgrimage with ethnographic perseverance, it is at once a document of ritual power and cultural change and a biography of religious encounter. By becoming the religious Other, Carl Belle creates a new dimension in the understanding of Thaipusam as both ethnic and individual experience. Dauntlessly frank and insightful, it is without doubt a rare achievement."— Raymond Lee, Universiti Malaya (retired)