Malaysia is one of the largest strongholds of Sunnism in the Islamic world, and, frequently, the existence of Shi‘a in the Malay archipelago in the pre-modern era or the existence of any sizable number of indigenous Malay Shi‘a is denied; this is done explicitly in the context of legislation outlawing Shi‘ism. Nevertheless, Malay cultural practices show evidence of the influence of Shi‘ism; this suggests a stronger historical presence of Shi‘ism than is commonly acknowledged. Applying the oral historiography framework of Jan Vansina, this study unearths evidence of Shi‘ism in Malaysia going back centuries through anonymous interviews. It also highlights the contemporary lack of religious freedom that the Shi‘a minority in Malaysia faces, particularly after the 2010 raid on the Hauzah Ar Ridha Alaihissalam community centre near Kuala Lumpur. Ultimately, this study hopes to put the situation of the Shi‘a in Malaysia today into a larger historical context and refute the argument that Shi‘ism is a recent arrival to the Malay archipelago.
The theoretical framework of social capital suggests that individuals bound together in dense social networks, and infused with the norms of reciprocity and trust, are better able and more inclined to act collectively for mutual benefits and social purposes as opposed to atomized individuals. The objective of the social capital model is to improve and maintain society well-being and the economic efficiency. ‘Social capital’ is a contemporary idea defined by Robert Putnam (2000) as those connections among individuals, social networks and the norms ofreciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them. This notion is therefore seen as “sociological superglue” that holds society together. The effectiveness depends strongly on a structural and cultural phenomenon. Recently, volunteerism has flourished within youths which have given beneficial effects to local communities. It is worth to scrutinize the elements of social capital within voluntary activities. Thus, youth volunteerism is studied and highlighted based on the social capital model suggested by Putnam (2000). This study is to inspect factors that bind youth in society as with the case study of Teach for the Needs (Malaysia) Berhad (TFTN). A field study is conducted whereby questionnaires were distributed to 100 respondents. Data collected were analysed using SPSS programme. Findings indicate that the norm of reciprocity and trust have a positive relationship with youths’ skills and commitments.
It is generally perceived that Malays—who are predominantly Muslims—are comparable with the notion of politeness, aligned with moral axioms, and behave in ways copiously guided by religion. Casual sex and other forms of sexual “deviance” are typically attributed to foreign influences, most popularly, Westernisation. New social trends among this community, such as the emphasis on male dominance, changing prescriptions about the functions and expectations of sex, receptiveness towards the body and emotion, exposure to sex education, and openness to sexual discourse are often attributed to the “immoral” West. Yet, forms of sexual behaviours depicted in the writings of notable Malay religious and literary personages reveal surprising insights into the Malay-Muslim milieu of 19th-century Riau. A variety of sexual practices and relations are expressed through these writings. This article adopts a historical-sociological framework to examine the “artisan tools” of textual materials as in the Kitab Pengetahuan Bahasa (Book of Linguistic Knowledge) by Raja Ali Haji and Perhimpunan Gunawan bagi Laki-Laki dan Perempuan (A Compendium of Charms for Men and Women) by Khatijah Terung. The “outrageous” sexual depictions in these texts are discussed and analysed, in part to debunk the idea of a “sexual revolution” or “sexual licentiousness” as emanating from an external culture.
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