Sharia is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the Hadith. In Arabic, the term sharīʿah refers to God's immutable divine law and this referencing is contrasted with fiqh, which refers to its interpretations by Islamic scholars. Fiqh, practical application side of sharia in a sense, was elaborated over the centuries by legal opinions issued by qualified jurists and sharia has never been the sole valid legal system in Islam historically; has always been used alongside customary law from the beginning, and applied in courts by ruler-appointed judges, integrated with various economic, criminal and administrative laws issued by Muslim rulers
While freedom of religion is de jure symbolically enshrined in the Malaysian Constitution, it de facto faces many prohibitions and restrictions. A Malay in Malaysia must strictly be a Muslim, and they cannot convert to another religion. Islamic religious practices are determined by official Sharia law, and Muslims can be fined by the state for not fasting or refusing to pray. The country does not consider itself a secular state and that Islam is the state religion of the country, and individuals with no religious affiliation are viewed with hostility.
Liberalism and progressivism within Islam involve professed Muslims who have created a considerable body of progressive thought about Islamic understanding and practice. Their work is sometimes characterized as "progressive Islam". Some scholars, such as Omid Safi, differentiate between "Progressive Muslims" and "Liberal advocates of Islam".
The Malaysian Islamic Party, also known as the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party or its Jawi-based acronym PAS, is an Islamist political party in Malaysia. Ideologically focused on Islamic fundamentalism, PAS's electoral base is largely centered around Peninsular Malaysia's rural and eastern coasts and conservative northern, particularly in the states of Kelantan, Terengganu, Perlis, & Kedah. They also gained significant support in the rural areas of Perak and Pahang in the last 2022 general election & 2023 state elections; dubbed as the "Green Wave".
Islam in Malaysia is represented by the Shafi‘i school of Sunni jurisprudence. Islam was introduced to Malaysia by traders arriving from Persia, Arabia, China and the Indian subcontinent. It became firmly established in the 15th century. In the Constitution of Malaysia, Islam is granted the status of "religion of the Federation" to symbolize its importance to Malaysian society, while defining Malaysia constitutionally as a secular state. Therefore, other religions can be practiced freely.
Islamic feminism is a form of feminism concerned with the role of women in Islam. It aims for the full equality of all Muslims, regardless of gender, in public and private life. Islamic feminists advocate women's rights, gender equality, and social justice grounded in an Islamic framework. Although rooted in Islam, the movement's pioneers have also utilized secular, Western, or otherwise non-Muslim feminist discourses, and have recognized the role of Islamic feminism as part of an integrated global feminist movement.
Moorthy Maniam, simply known as M. Moorthy, was a corporal in the Malaysian Army and a member of the first group of Malaysians to successfully climb Mount Everest. He was a Malaysian Indian, born and raised Hindu.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Malaysia face severe challenges, prejudices and threats not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Sodomy is a crime in the country, with laws strictly enforced. Extrajudicial murders of LGBT people have also occurred in the country. There are no Malaysian laws that protect the LGBT community against discrimination and hate crimes. As such, the LGBT demographic in the country are hard to ascertain due to widespread fears from being ostracised and prosecuted, including violence.
Zainah Anwar is a prominent Malaysian non-governmental organisation leader, activist and Muslim feminist. She was the head of the civil society organisation Sisters in Islam for more than two decades before stepping down. In 2013 she was named by the International Museum of Women as one of its 10 most influential Muslim women.
Sheikh Malam Ibrahim Khaleel is an Islamic scholar based in Kano State, Nigeria, who has expressed interest in running for governor of the state in the 2011 elections. When questioned on whether the then governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, supported Sheikh Khaleel, the Secretary of the Kano State chapter of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) said that the governor had not decided on any candidate. He is currently contesting to be the governor of Kano state in the 2023 Kano state governorship election under the party of ADC.
Women in Malaysia receive support from the Malaysian government concerning their rights to advance, to make decisions, to health, education and social welfare, and to the removal of legal obstacles. The Malaysian government has ensured these factors through the establishment of Ministry of National Unity and Social Development in 1997. This was followed by the formation of the Women's Affairs Ministry in 2001 to recognise the roles and contributions of Malaysian women.
Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV) is a grassroots human rights organization founded and incorporated by Zuriana (Ani) Zonneveld and Pamela K. Taylor in 2007. Headquartered in Los Angeles California, MPV has regional offices in Malaysia, the Netherlands as well as various other countries under different names such as Universal Muslim Community. It also has separate networks in Bangladesh, Canada, France, Chile, Germany, the Netherlands and Australia & throughout the U.S.
The feminist movement in Malaysia is a multicultural coalition of women's organisations committed to the end of gender-based discrimination, harassment and violence against women. Having first emerged as women's shelters in the mid 1980s, feminist women's organisations in Malaysia later developed alliances with other social justice movements. Today, the feminist movement in Malaysia is one of the most active actors in the country's civil society.
Prof. Dato' Arif Perkasa Dr. Mohd Asri bin Zainul Abidin Al-Malizi, better known as Abu Talhah Al-Malizi or Dr MAZA, is an Islamic scholar, preacher, writer and lecturer from Malaysia. He is currently serving his second term as Mufti of Perlis since 2 February 2015. His first term had been from 1 November 2006 until 11 November 2008.
KamalaChandrakirana is a feminist human rights activist for justice and democracy from Indonesia. She has been a member of the United Nations Working Group on discrimination against women in law and practice since 2011. She spent over a decade founding and serving Indonesia's National Commission on Violence Against Women, the country's primary mechanism for women's human rights. She was first Secretary General from 1998 to 2003, then Chairperson from 2003 to 2009. In 2009, she co-founded Musawah, a "global movement for equality and justice in the Muslim family", with other activists, academics and progressive religious scholars.
Musawah is a global movement for equality and justice in the Muslim family and family laws, led by 'Islamic feminists' "seeking to reclaim Islam and the Koran for themselves", applying progressive interpretations of sacred texts usually referred as feminist tafsir. The name "Musawah" comes from an Arabic word that translates as "equality". It was founded in 2009.
Violence against women includes physical, psychological, emotional, and sexual abuse of women by men, domestic violence being the most common form. Malaysia's rating was 0.681 under the Global Gender Gap Report 2022 and ranked 103rd out of 146 countries.
Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML) is an international solidarity network established in 1984. It does academic and advocacy work in the fields of women's rights and secularism, focusing on the impact on women of laws inspired by Muslim religion or customs.
Mohd Na'im bin Mokhtar is a Malaysian judge, lawyer and legal scholar who has served as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of Religious Affairs in the Anwar Ibrahim Cabinet as well as Senator since December 2022. He served as 4th Chief Judge of the Syariah Court from April 2019 to his appointment as a minister in December 2022. He is one of the two independent Cabinet ministers alongside Minister of Finance II Amir Hamzah Azizan. He was the sole independent Cabinet minister before the 2023 cabinet reshuffle.
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