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Library Islamic Law, Women's Rights, and Popular Legal Consciousness in Malaysia

Islamic Law, Women's Rights, and Popular Legal Consciousness in Malaysia

Islamic Law, Women's Rights, and Popular Legal Consciousness in Malaysia
Islamic Law, Women's Rights, and Popular Legal Consciousness in Malaysia

Resource information

Date of publication
January 2013
Resource Language
ISBN / Resource ID
DOI: 10.2307/23357742
Pages
21
License of the resource

Drawing on original survey research, this study examines how lay Muslims in Malaysia understand foundational concepts in Islamic law. The survey finds a substantial disjuncture between popular legal consciousness and core epistemological commitments in Islamic legal theory. In its classic form, Islamic legal theory was marked by its commitment to pluralism and the centrality of human agency in Islamic jurisprudence. Yet in contemporary Malaysia, lay Muslims tend to understand Islamic law as being purely divine, with a single “correct” answer to any given question. The practical implications of these findings are demonstrated through examples of efforts by women’s rights activists to reform family law provisions in Malaysia. The examples illustrate how popular misconceptions of Islamic law hinder the efforts of those working to reform family law codes while strengthening the hand of conservative actors wishing to maintain the status quo.

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Authors and Publishers

Author(s), editor(s), contributor(s)

Tamir Moustafa

Publisher(s)
Geographical focus