Is Malaysia an Islamic State? Secularism and Theocracy: A Study of the Malaysian Constitution

Abstract

A book edited by Abdul Razak Baginda and Peter Schier, the first volume of the MSRC-KAF Inter-Cultural Discourse series published by the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. The book arose from the public debate after Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad declared in 2001 that Malaysia was an Islamic state, a statement that sparked controversy among UMNO, PAS, and non-Muslim community groups. The contributors, comprising constitutional lawyers, political scientists, and community figures, reconsider the position of Islam as the religion of the Federation under Article 3 of the Malaysian Constitution, the meaning of religious freedom, the legacy of the secular constitution produced at independence in 1957, and PAS's conception of an Islamic state. The book has become an important reference for understanding the tug-of-war between secularism and theocracy in Malaysia's political and legal system, and it is also relevant to comparative studies of religion–state relations in the Malay world.