Making Space for Islam: Religion, Science, and Politics in Contemporary Malaysia

Abstract

In October 2007, Malaysia celebrated sending its first astronaut into space, as part of a cooperative venture on board a Russian space mission. As Malaysia's first astronaut was a Muslim, the Malaysian government commissioned, through its Department of Islamic Development, a project to create a definitive set of guidelines for the practice of Islam in outer space, specifically on board the International Space Station. What may on the surface appear to be a practical exercise in clarifying religious practice reveals upon closer examination to be a complex restructuring of Malaysia's domestic and international politics, with the role of Islam as the catalytic and somewhat controversial centerpiece.

Kempen “Kepimpinan melalui Teladan”semasa Era Pemerintahan Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad di Malaysia

“…Selain itu, dengan mempamerkan kemampuan Malaysia mengeluarkan kereta Proton dan Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad ingin mempamerkan kepada dunia khususnya negara-negara maju di Barat bahawa Malaysia sebagai negara membangun telah memperoleh taraf kemajuan dalam bidang sains dan teknologi, mempunyai para pekerja yang berkualiti, dan mampu berdiri setaraf dengan negara-negara maju yang lain (Zook, 2010).…”

The 2009 Malaysian Female Circumcision Fatwa: State ownership of Islam and the current impasse

“…As an official organisation JAKIM was formed in 1996 as means to standardise and define Islamic discourses and practices in Malaysia and so is a key player in this dynamic. It remains "a central institution of Islamic modernization in the service of Malaysia and the UMNO" (Zook, 2010(Zook, :1151. Indeed, UMNO has also attempted to compete with its rival the Islamic party PAS (Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party) by intervening aggressively in Islamic politics in Malaysia, demonstrating how religion (and therefore JAKIM) is a key tool in this political battle (Zook, 2010(Zook, :1150.…”

“…It remains "a central institution of Islamic modernization in the service of Malaysia and the UMNO" (Zook, 2010(Zook, :1151. Indeed, UMNO has also attempted to compete with its rival the Islamic party PAS (Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party) by intervening aggressively in Islamic politics in Malaysia, demonstrating how religion (and therefore JAKIM) is a key tool in this political battle (Zook, 2010(Zook, :1150. This project advances a rule-orientated (rather than goal-orientated) construction of Islam in order to construct it as a naturally existing part of national identity and development that also naturalizes the Malay majority and so promotes the nation state as having a homogenous (rather than the more problematic heterogeneous) character (Mohamad, 2009:10).…”

“…This then positioned it as a part of state-led attempts to reinforce a religious and ethnic identity that also props up the legitimacy of JAKIM and, correspondingly, the ruling party BN and UMNO. The issuing of the fatwa therefore becomes part of an agenda designed to demonstrate that it "still commands the legitimacy and authority to define Islam in a way that is theologically rigorous and politically relevant" (Zook, 2010(Zook, :1151. Notably, despite the close relationship between Islam and FGC in Malaysia, doctors did not go straight to religious authorities such as JAKIM for guidance, but rather approached the MoH in 2008 when more and more women were asking for the procedure in hospitals.…”

“…22 This is a civil society movement supported by numerous NGOs which campaigns against corruption and for reforming the electoral process. 23 Zook indicates that aspects such as an increased emphasis upon Islamic banking and the drawing up of Islamic guidelines for the Malaysian space program are all part of the "process of claiming a political space for Malaysia in the theater of international politics" (Zook, 2010(Zook, :1154 specifically in light of its geographical distance from the 'heartland' of Islam. However, this agenda must take place while also resisting the 'arabization' of culture which could undermine the intimate connection between ethnicity and religion that is favoured by UMNO.…”