Malaysian experiences in Islam and intra-religious expression

• Main Author: Mohd Sani, Mohd Azizuddin
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: BP Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy, etc
• Online Access: http://repo.uum.edu.my/24543/1/UDAKBS%202016%20195%20210.pdf; http://repo.uum.edu.my/24543/

In Malaysia, freedom of expression is protected by the Federal Constitution which includes the right to religious expression.In fact, Federal Constitution gives a special status to Islam as the religion of the Federation.The Islamic law system called "Shariah law runs parallel to the civil law system.Malaysia is also a multireligious society prone to not only inter-group, but also intra-group conflict.Muslims in this country belong to the Sunni doctrine which recognises the teachings of Shaf-i sect. Other school of thought such as Shia is considered deviant from Islam. Although Malaysia is very strict in practising Islam, some evidences also show that some practices are political and must align with the government policy and agenda.Based on the study of intra-religious expression, it is obvious that there are many restrictions and limitations in practising intrareligious expression in Malaysia. It is legitimate to restrict religious hatred and hate speech for national security reasons. However, this gives the opportunity for the government and religious authority to limit intra-religious expression which also includes expression considered non-threat to national security but not in line with the Sunni doctrine and Islamic belief in Malaysia.