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Interplay of Sharia Projects: Between Ketuanan Melayu, Islam, and Liberal Rights in Malaysia

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Sharia Dynamics

Part of the book series: Contemporary Anthropology of Religion ((CAR))

Abstract

Daniels examines the diverse discourses about sharia in contemporary Malaysian society. Based upon ethnographic research and analysis of spoken and written discourses, the chapter explores the way secular Malay nationalists, the political Islamic party and Islamic nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), liberal Muslim reformers, and non-Muslim secular forces talk and think about sharia. Focusing on the dynamic interplay between sociopolitical projects, this chapter demonstrates that although the Islamic party contests secular nationalists in electoral politics, they are often compelled to work together against liberal rights activists to reinforce Malay and Islamic primacy. It also concludes that the increasingly intense and uncompromising skirmishes over liberal rights versus sharia are pushing dominant Malay forces in a more sharia-oriented direction.

I presented the first draft of this chapter at the “Islam and Muslim Societies in Southeast Asia” colloquium organized by the Alwaleed Islamic Studies Program, Harvard University, on December 12, 2013.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY, USA

    Timothy P. Daniels

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  1. Department of Anthropology, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York, USA

    Timothy P. Daniels

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Daniels, T.P. (2017). Interplay of Sharia Projects: Between Ketuanan Melayu, Islam, and Liberal Rights in Malaysia. In: Daniels, T. (eds) Sharia Dynamics. Contemporary Anthropology of Religion. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45692-8_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45692-8_6

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-45691-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-45692-8

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