Drawing on ethnographic research, Living Sharia examines the role of
sharia in the sociopolitical processes of contemporary Malaysia. The
book traces the contested implementation of Islamic family and criminal
laws and sharia economics to provide cultural frameworks for
understanding sharia among Muslims and non-Muslims. Timothy Daniels
explores how the way people think about sharia is often entangled with
notions about race, gender equality, nationhood, liberal pluralism,
citizenship, and universal human rights. He reveals that Malaysians'
ideas about sharia are not isolated from--nor always opposed to--liberal
pluralism and secularism.
Living Sharia will be of interest to scholars as well as to policy
makers, consultants, and professionals working with global NGOs.