Malaysia And The Islamic World

This book surveys the growth and development of Islam in Malaysia from the eleventh to the twenty-first century, investigating how Islam has shaped the social lives, languages, cultures and politics of both Muslims and non-Muslims in one of the most populous Muslim regions in the world. Khairudin Aljunied shows how Muslims in Malaysia built upon the legacy of their pre-Islamic past while benefiting from Islamic ideas, values, and networks to found flourishing states and societies that have played an influential role in a globalizing world. He examines the movement of ideas, peoples, goods, technologies, arts, and cultures across into and out of Malaysia over the centuries. Interactions between Muslims and the local Malay population began as early as the eighth century, sustained by trade and the agency of Sufi as well as Arab, Indian, Persian, and Chinese scholars and missionaries. Aljunied looks at how Malay states and societies survived under colonial regimes that heightened racial and religious divisions, and how Muslims responded through violence as well as reformist movements. Although there have been tensions and skirmishes between Muslims and non-Muslims in Malaysia, they have learned in the main to co-exist harmoniously, creating a society comprising of a variety of distinct populations. This is the first book to provide a seamless account of the millennium-old venture of Islam in Malaysia.

As the collective voice of the Muslim world and as the second largest inter-governmental organisation after the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is, without doubt, the best platform for the Muslim community, or the Ummah to address issues which have afflicted them in so many ways, be it politically, economically, or socially. Since September 11, 2001, Islam and the Islamic community worldwide has been attacked into so many unjust accusations, which is now known as Islamophobia. The basic premise of this book is that one of the main factors which caused this unnecessary prejudice, hate, and fear against Islam and the Muslim world is the fact that the Muslim community has failed to optimally harness its economic potentials to build a greater and stable political and social community which they have all the capacities to become. This book argues that one of the solutions to overcome this state of affair is for a few like-minded countries in the OIC, like Malaysia, to initiate policies and programmes of economic empowerment for the Muslim world. This can be done by enhancing Malaysia-OIC trade and investment linkages and promoting crucial sectors, such as Islamic finance and Islamic social finance. This book is not merely to provide detailed discussions on these issues based on the empirical results, but also highlighted some policy implications and provides future directions for Malaysia to play a crucial role in unlocking the economic potentials of the Ummah so that it can be strengthened further for the betterment of the Muslim world at large.

The book, Economic Empowerment of Women in the Islamic World, discusses the economic, social, and political rights and status of women in Islam, which is theoretically given by the Islamic Jurisprudence (Shariah law). The chapters in this volume will address historical practices in comparison to the status of women in the contemporary Muslim world. Men and women in Islam, regardless of their age, social class, and education, are equal as citizens and individuals, but not identical in their rights and responsibilities. It can be observed from Islamic history that in the early age of Islam, women were given full confidence, trust, and high responsibilities in leadership, educational guidance, and decision-making.This volume will try to clarify the confusion in the status of the women in Islam that is presented by the media, as it is assumed that theoretical Islamic empowerment of women bears little relation to the real conditions of women in modern Muslim societies. It has been widely claimed in the media that Muslim women suffer more than men in Muslim societies and communities in terms of insecurity, domestic abuse, and low access to education and medical care. It is also stated in the press and media that absence of good governance also results in gender inequality and violation of the rights of Muslim women.This volume also aims to provide the solutions for the empowerment of women in the Islamic world. We assumed that without good governance, the status of women is not likely to improve. Muslim women have the potential to play a fundamental role in curbing corruption, social ills, violence, and crime in the Muslim world. This volume will make the case that in order to achieve stability and prosperity, the government must ensure a platform for women to participate in decision-making and hence benefit from the rights they are accorded in Islam.By covering a range of perspectives on the economic lives of Muslim women around the world, it hopes to shed light on the problems faced and to offer possible solutions to the empowerment of women in the Islamic world.

A case study of a multi-ethnic Muslim state and a contribution to the study of the domestic functions of foreign policy. The book also addresses the real and imagined significance of Islam as a force in contemporary global politics.

As Malaysia's economy grows and flourishes, strong new links are being forged with other developing countries in the region and beyond. This book examines these new links. It argues that as many countries with which Malaysia has new links are Indian Ocean countries, many of them Muslim countries, a new style trading network is being formed, a network with Islamic characteristics, which echoes Indian Ocean Islamic trading networks of earlier times.

The book contains twelve essays on topics related to the subject “Media and Muslim Society.” It is compiled as a textbook for students taking the course of the same title at the International Islamic Universiti Malaysia. Thus, the topics selected are those covered in the course. The topics include media at various stages in the development of a Muslim society, the role of communication in a Muslim society, media control, media effects on Muslim society and the roles of ulamas in influencing the media. A special topic on Muslim society is also included at the beginning of the book. The contributors of these essays are experts in their field. They have also helped developed and taught the course. In this first edition, most of the examples and discussions are based on two Muslim societies, i.e., Peninsular Malaysia and Indonesia. This is understandable because most of the writers in this first edition are from the Malay world. We hope to include examples from other Muslim societies in the next edition when we get contribution from writers from other parts of the Muslim world. Finally, we welcome criticisms and suggestions to improve this book from our readers. We shall certainly consider these criticisms and suggestions in the next edition