Islamisation policy in Malaysia: the nature in the context of plural society

Abstract

During the tenure of the two most recent Prime Ministers, the government's strategy on Islam in public policy has moved beyond the symbolism of observing the Islamic ceremony. Islamic values have become one of the major sources of guidance for the national policies. As Malaysian society is diverse in terms of ethnicity and religion. The inculcation of Islamic values and principle into the governance has produced a variety of reactions and responses from various community of ethnic and religious groups of Malaysian; implicitly as well as explicitly. This paper is part of the ongoing PhD research with an aim to analyse the nature of lslamisation policy in the context of plural society of Malaysia. The study is focuses on the government strategy in implementing the policy and different stakeholders' views of the policy. It is hoped that the study will make a significant contribution in filling a gap of the study of Islam in Malaysian public policy and also improve understanding of the importance of government strategy of sustaining the national unity in the plural society of Malaysia.