Islamism has been at the forefront of Malaysian politics for the past two decades. The recurrence of religious controversies, from apostasy to the debate on the use of the word 'Allah', emphasizes the importance of the religious factor seeing the rise of a 'new phenomenon' or the 'resurgence of Islam' in a country where, in fact, Islam has been entrenched in every layer of society for more than a century. In view of the recent political and social turbulence in the country, and the next general elections (2012 or sooner), this Occasional paper aims to offer to its reader an understanding of political Islam in Malaysia and its forms of expression within political parties and civil society and understand the influence of a major phenomenon.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Sophie Lemière
Chap 1 - Public Policies and Private Connections. The Religious Dimensions of Malaysia's International Integration
by Delphine Allès
Chap 2 - "Dakwah and Politics": The Influence of Islamic NGOs in Contemporary Malaysia
by Sophie Lemière
Chap 3 - Moral Politics. Unity Government, September 16 and the Contestation of Ideas in the Malaysian Islamic party (PAS)
by Haris Zalkapli
Chap 4 - An Alternativ Islamism. Hizbut Tahrir and the Quest for the Caliphate in Malaysia
by Mohamed Nawab Mohamed Osman