Abstract
In this chapter, Shah provides a historical background of the state’s management of Islam and sexuality in Malaysia and Britain. The chapter begins by considering the shared legal and cultural legacies left by the British Empire that continue to shape laws and public opinions about Islam and sexuality in both countries. Shah then highlights the aspects that are especially relevant to the experiences of the gay Muslims explored in the rest of this book.
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Notes
- 1.
In 2011, Muslims comprised 61.3 per cent of the Malaysian population of 28 million, while 19.8 per cent were Buddhist, 9.2 per cent Christian and 6.3 per cent Hindu. In terms of ethnicity , 67.4 per cent were categorised as Bumiputera (a state-created term comprising ethnic Malays and other indigenous peoples, mostly in Sabah and Sarawak, who may or may not be Muslim), 24.6 per cent were Chinese, 7.3 per cent Indian, and 0.7 per cent classified as ‘Other’ (Department of Statistics, Malaysia 2011).
- 2.
As of 2015, the UK’s population was estimated at 65.1 million, with England having a population of 54.8 million. According to the 2011 census (Office for National Statistics 2013), in England and Wales, 59 per cent identified as Christian, 25.1 per cent said they had ‘no religion’, 4.8 per cent were Muslim, 1.5 per cent Hindu, 0.8 per cent Sikh, 0.5 per cent Jewish and 0.8 per cent classified as following other religions. In terms of ethnicity , the proportion of white British people stood at 80.5 per cent of the population.
- 3.
She spells her name in all lower-case letters, and I will respect this convention when citing her.
- 4.
Personal communication, November 2011 and August 2013.
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Shah, S. (2018). Comparing Malaysia and Britain. In: The Making of a Gay Muslim. Palgrave Studies in Lived Religion and Societal Challenges. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63130-1_4
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