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Cited by 15Islamic Studies and RadicalismAsian Studies and HistoryLinguistic, Cultural, and Literary Studies

Political struggle of Malaysia and Islam: moderating and radicalizing the state, society, and religion alternately (1957–2023)

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Latif, Muhammad Asad·2024·Discover Global Society
DOI 10.1007/s44282-024-00070-8
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Abstract

This research explores Malaysia’s post-independence interaction between the government, civil society, and Islam, the majority religion in the nation. Many predicted that Islam would cause social and economic deterioration when Malaya gained independence from the British in 1957. The constitution declares Islam to be the official state religion, but it also guarantees non-Muslims the right to practice their faith freely and without hindrance. Since then, the state has continued to be in charge of everything related to religion, and Malaysia has been praised for many years as a haven of moderate Islam. However, for a variety of reasons, hate inspired by religion has grown more common and well-liked in Malaysia over the past several years. This research highlights the causes of the rise in hate crimes and the fall of Malaysia’s once-moderate form of Islam. It suggests that rather than attributing the radicalization of Malaysian Muslims to localized issues at the regional and national levels, it should be assessed in light of contemporary geopolitics and its implications for the welfare of the Muslim world. The study suggests that some of the best strategies for combating extremism and avoiding radicalization include ensuring that individuals’ rights are upheld and implementing good government.

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  • Other Malaysian states, including Selangor, Johor, Kedah, Penang and others, have not enacted specific provisions on apostasy.

    “Meanwhile, other states, including Selangor, Johor, Kedah, Penang and others, have not enacted specific provisions, raising questions regarding legal uniformity and the administration of religion at the national level (Latif, 2024).”

    From APOSTASY PUNISHMENT IN ISLAMIC SCHOLARLY DISCOURSE: PERSPECTIVES AND IMPLICATIONS IN THE MALAYSIAN CONTEXT (2025) · cites this paper as Latif, 2024

    Section 1.2, “Malaysia’s position on Islam” (page not provided), discusses state responsibility for Islamic affairs and Selangor’s Islamic department, but not apostasy provisions. Searches for apostasy, state enactments, and the named states found no passage establishing whether Selangor, Johor, Kedah, or Penang enacted such provisions. (LLM, conf=0.74)

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Authors
Latif, M. A.
Affiliations
Islamia University of Bahawalpur (PK)
Corresponding author
Latif, Muhammad Asad
ORCID
Latif, Muhammad Asad
Venue
Discover Global Society
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2024-08-07
Volume
2
Issue
1
ISSN
2731-9687 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1007/s44282-024-00070-8
OpenAlex
W4401400165
Cited by
15
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 1
FWCI
7.89
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Discover Global Society (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Islamic Studies and Radicalism
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Asian Studies and History
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Linguistic, Cultural, and Literary Studies
Keywords
Islam in Malaysia, moderate Islam, radicalization, religious extremism, hate crimes, church-state relations, civil society, Islam as state religion, religious tolerance, geopolitics, Islamic world, human rights, governance, Malaysia

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