Interviews

Sharia in Discourse, Thought, and Practice provides a comprehensive examination of the roles discourses and practices of sharia play in sociopolitical processes in contemporary Malaysian society. Drawing on ethnographic and textual research, it presents the contested implementation of Islamic family and criminal laws and sharia economics and delineates a broad range of cultural frameworks for understanding sharia amongst Muslims and non-Muslims. These frameworks include the views of Malay secular nationalists, political Islamic activists, Muslim feminists, Islamic non-governmental organizations, Sufi revivalists, liberal Muslim reformers, opposition party leaders, and a non-Muslim social democratic political party and liberal rights organizations. Through examining the broader field of sociopolitical projects and dramatic public events, this study highlights the interactions and social dynamics between them. Daniels demonstrates that the way people think about sharia is often entangled with notions about race, gender equality, nation, liberal pluralism, citizenship, and universal human rights. Close investigation of the way diverse members of Malaysian society speak, write, and think about sharia, reveals that various ideas about sharia are not isolated from or always opposed to liberal pluralism and secularism. Intra-Muslim contests as well as Muslim and non-Muslim skirmishes chronicle the faultlines for potential future compromises. Captivating and in-depth, Sharia in Discourse, Thought, and Practice makes important contributions to Southeast Asian studies and the anthropology of Islam and will enthrall scholars and students in a wide range of social sciences and humanities as well as policy makers, international agencies, consultants, and global non-governmental organizations.