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One State, Three Legal Systems: Social Cohesion in a Multi-ethnic and Multi-religious Malaysia

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The Sociology of Shari’a: Case Studies from around the World

Part of the book series: Boundaries of Religious Freedom: Regulating Religion in Diverse Societies ((BOREFRRERE,volume 1))

Abstract

Adat (indigenous) justice system (highly heterogenous) preceded Islamic-based (mostly homogenous, with minor interpretative differences) and European-based (highly homogenous) legal systems in the Malay-speaking world of Southeast Asia, which includes present-day Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia. Because the present European-based justice system is understood as resting upon the principle of ‘rationalization’ (in the Weberian sense) and, conversely, the other two systems are based on ‘metaphysical’ principles, they are perceived as not compatible. However, in the multi-ethnic society of Malaysia, where religion (read Islam) has become ‘ethnic identifier’ or ‘identity boundary’, practical efforts are being made to find convergence between the different involved parties through some form of compromising on the differences in principles. This paper is about these efforts. It elaborates and analyzes where they have succeeded and failed, and why, and what the future holds for Malaysia. The Malaysian case is particularly significant in view of the fact that Malaysians have been considered models of sorts of the ‘moderates’ within and outside the Muslim world.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See Shamsul and Yusoff (2011). This is a report that has been presented, at the request of the Institute of Economics and Peace Sydney, Australia, on the occasion of the launching of the Global Peace Index 2011 at the United Nations, New York, 25 May 2011.

  2. 2.

    For an excellent analysis on legal pluralism, see Tamanaha (2008), and for a useful discussion on religious diversity, see Gross (1999).

  3. 3.

    The standard text on Malaysian history is by Leonard and Barbara Andaya (1982). A number of well-known lawyers and judges (for example, Ahmad Ibrahim and Ahilemah Joned 1985 and Wu Min Aun 1990) have written, both in English and Malay, about the complex history of Malaysian legal systems, covering the period before British colonialism.

  4. 4.

    See Wu Min Aun (1990) for a brief but excellent general introduction to the evolution of rules and laws in Malaysia. See, also, Suffian (1988). For a more ‘technical’ introduction, see Hickling (1987).

  5. 5.

    Hooker’s Adat Laws in Modern Malaya (1972) and Native Law in Sabah and Sarawak (1980) remain the most important contributions in the study of Malaysia’s indigenous rules and laws.

  6. 6.

    For an interesting account of the Hindu and Buddhist influence in a Malay kingdom around the Middle Ages, see Walters (1970).

  7. 7.

    A number of interesting books on Islamic laws in Malaysia have been published, both in English and Malay. But the most important text is still that of Ibrahim (1965). Other useful recent contributions are those of Jusoh (1991) and Othman (1994).

  8. 8.

    Two scholars have offered brilliant analyses of the impact of British colonialism and colonial knowledge in defining social life and social order, including in terms of religion, in the British colonies, in which the influence of Henry J. Maine (1822–1888) was pivotal in developing, in the post 1857 British empire, the concept of ‘indirect rule’ (see Cohn 1996; Mahmood Mamdani 2012).

  9. 9.

    The experiences of Sarawak and Sabah under British rule provide ample examples on this; see, for example, Richards (1964) and Sandin (1980). See, also, Hooker (1980).

  10. 10.

    See the brilliant article by Kugle (2001) on how this happened in the whole of South India during the British period.

  11. 11.

    The most recent and comprehensive account on the social history of the Adat Perpatih in Negeri Sembilan is the contribution by Ibrahim (1995). For anthropological accounts on the practice of Adat Perpatih, see Swift (1965) and Peletz (1988, 1996).

  12. 12.

    We are yet to read a thorough and respected Marxist- or Weberian-based study, in English or Malay, on Malaysian economy and society, but there exists a small collection of ‘Marxisant’ and ‘Weberianistic’ attempts which are mistaken by many for the real thing.

  13. 13.

    It is cliché for observers and op-ed writers on Malaysia to characterize and arrogantly dismiss any analysis that does not highlight social conflict or does not give prominence to non-Muslim non-Malay viewpoints as ‘a dominant, conservative Malay-Muslim perspective.’ In the broader sense, such a viewpoint has been labeled ‘myopic and racist.’ It is not common for religious issues to be examined in the context of the Malaysian federalist system.

  14. 14.

    See Balasubramaniam (1999), Shafruddin (1987), Simandjuntak (1969), Yusoff (2006).

  15. 15.

    See Gullick (2003), but be warned, the Wikipedia version contains many factual errors and misinterpretations.

  16. 16.

    See Gullick (1967).

  17. 17.

    See the article, ‘“Hudud has no place in the present constitutional structure,” say legal experts’ (2014). Since 1 May 2014, Shari’a law has been enforced by a royal decree to replace the civil law in the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam.

  18. 18.

    See the report in the article, ‘Doing the impossible: Quitting Islam’ (2007).

  19. 19.

    Data from the various records, in the last 15 years, of Jabatan Agama Islam, Negeri Sembilan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia

    A. B. Shamsul

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  1. A. B. Shamsul
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Correspondence to A. B. Shamsul .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Religion and Society Research Centre, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Adam Possamai

  2. Grant Sawyer Center for Justice Studies, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA

    James T Richardson

  3. City University of New York The Graduate Center, New York, New York, USA

    Bryan S. Turner

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Shamsul, A.B. (2015). One State, Three Legal Systems: Social Cohesion in a Multi-ethnic and Multi-religious Malaysia. In: Possamai, A., Richardson, J., Turner, B. (eds) The Sociology of Shari’a: Case Studies from around the World. Boundaries of Religious Freedom: Regulating Religion in Diverse Societies, vol 1. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09605-6_2

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