Suchergebnisse

Islamization and activism in Malaysia -- CONTENTS -- Acknowledgements -- Abbreviations -- Introduction -- 1 On Islam, Democracy, and Activism -- 2 A Short History of Malaysia -- 3 Malaysia as an Islamic State: The Debate -- 4 Conflict of Jurisdiction: Civil versus Syariah Law -- 5 Islamist Lawyers' Views -- 6 Social Activism and the Article 11 Coalition -- 7 Questioning Orthodoxies, Criticizing Zealotry -- 8 Electoral Engagements -- Conclusion: Islam, Democracy, and Activism in Malaysia -- Bibliography -- Index -- About the Author.

Islamization and Activism in Malaysia examines aspects of the increasing political and social profile of Islam in Malaysia and describes how different kinds of activists in Malaysia have sought to protect fundamental liberties and to improve the state of democracy in Malaysia. In particular, focus is paid to activists who engage with electoral process, the law and the public sphere, and in particular, to movements that cut across or combine these realms of action. Spanning the period of the

SUDAN HAS EXPERIENCED AN ISLAMIC REVOLUTION WITHOUT VIOLENCE. IN A GRADUAL REVOLUTION THAT BEGAN IN THE 1970'S, ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISTS CONSOLIDATED THEIR POWER THROUGH WEALTH AND SYSTEMATIC CONTROL OF THE CIVIL SERVICE, THE ECONOMY, THE JUDICIARY, AND THE ARMED FORCES. ALTHOUGH FUNDAMENTALISTS COMPRISE ONLY 20 PERCENT OF SUDAN'S MUSLIM POPULATION, THEY ARE RICHER, BETTER ORGANIZED, AND MORE HIGHLY MOTIVATED. THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE "SHARIA" HAS BEEN ACCOMPANIED BY THE ENTRENCHMENT OF DICTATORIAL RULE, THE WEAKENING OF INSTITUTIONS, THE EROSION OF CIVIL LIBERTIES, THE AGGRAVATION OF THE CIVIL WAR IN SOUTHERN SUDAN, AND AN EVER-WORSENING ECONOMIC MALAISE. THE FACT THAT THE MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES IN NORTHERN SUDAN, EXCEPT THE COMMUNIST PARTY, ARE AFFILIATED WITH RELIGIOUS SECTS DOES NOT MEAN THAT THEY ALL SUPPORT THE "SHARIA." THE REVOLUTION HAS CAUSED APPREHENSION IN WASHINGTON AND SOME AFRICAN AND ARAB STATES, ALTHOUGH THERE IS AS YET NO EVIDENCE THAT SUDAN POSES A DIRECT THREAT TO ITS NEIGHBORS.

This article examines the clash between rising transnational Islam and the declining Western nation-state in Europe, and suggests that non-Islamic apologists for Islam are aiding the dangerous Islamist agenda. Islamist ideology is assessed, and in its global reach and in its aggressive intentions, it is found to bear some resemblance to another transnational belief system: namely, Communism. The article uses examples from the news media, religious society, and commercial society to illustrate the lengths to which non-Islamic apologists for Islam will go in accommodating Islamist ideology throughout the European continent. It warns against the dangers of the spread of an Islamic reverse imperialism, and suggests that the European establishment has, to its own detriment, adopted a patronizing and indulgent attitude towards Islamist ideology and ideologues. These people, it is argued, are hastening the very clash of civilizations that some of them foolishly claim they are avoiding, and are thus helping to advance the Islamist agenda.