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Due to a complex legal system in Malaysia, Muslim converts were left with no other option but to negotiate with their spouse to convert or file a petition for divorce in court. This study intends to explore the legal discourse and narratives of Muslim converts on the legal implications of their conversion to Islam, particularly in the cases of dissolution of civil marriage. To obtain the narratives of Muslim converts whom experienced this issue, this study employed in-depth semi-structured interviews with 9 participants (7 Indians, 1 Chinese, and 1 Bumiputera) whom are high-profile Muslim converts in urban Malaysia. This research has found that some participants in this study shared their narratives on how Malaysian law, both civil and Islamic law, has significant implications that affects converts’ marital lives and family dynamics. This study can become the foundation for an urgent call to revise the relevant laws, especially relating to the definition of People of the Book (Kitabiyyah), the period allocated for the non-Muslim spouse to convert to Islam, and the abolition of legal process of civil marriage dissolution in Shariah court. Beyond Malaysia, this study is important to depict how religious conversion impacts individuals, family dynamics and relations within a multi-ethnic and multi-faith society.

Child marriage is a global issue that concerns the violation of children's rights. All signatory countries to the International Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), including Malaysia, are obliged to raise the marriageable age to 18 years old as a legal measure to curb child marriage. However, the proposed law reform received strong rejection and criticism from religious groups in various Muslim countries. Religious traditionalist groups saw child marriage as permissible in Islamic law following the authority of the hadith of Aisha's marriage to Prophet Muhammad at the age of six. This article aims to analyse the abovementioned hadith by highlighting the discussion between the conflicting groups of Muslim scholars in the context of child marriage. This study employed content analysis to the Islamic legal texts and hadith commentaries in classical and contemporary works. This study found that the controversial hadith in question is a sound authority and cannot be dismissed as a legal basis for several matters in Islamic family law, including the permissibility of a father to marry off his young child. However, the hadith should not be considered as an authority to condone child marriage in today’s context. As a way forward, child rights’ advocates may pose other arguments within the Islamic law framework such as maslaha and Siyasah Shar'iyya to curb child marriage in Malaysia.

The increasing prevalence of physical sexual assault against children in Malaysia necessitates a comprehensive legal framework for more effective protection. The enactment of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 (Act 792) underscores Malaysia s commitment to addressing this issue. However, there is an urgent need to examine Islamic legal provisions to establish a more holistic approach. Despite its significance, figh discourse on this crime is relatively limited and requires deeper analysis. This study seeks to examine the provisions of Act 792 in relation to the figh perspective on the crime of physical sexual abuse against children. The study utilises content analysis centred on pertinent subjects related to physical interactions with children. The sources include classical figh texts from the four major Schools, Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi 'i, and Hanbali, along with contemporary figh references. The research shows that Act 792 and figh both rely on physical contact and sexual intent as basic criteria for identifying offences. However, Act 792 provides a more thorough categorisation of these offences. In contrast, figh adopts a broader, more generalised approach. This study proposes the harmonisation of figh principles within Act 792 to enhance child protection through a more comprehensive legal framework. Such an integration would ensure a more robust and culturally relevant legal response to child sexual offences in Malaysia.

Badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) di Malaysia memainkan peranan penting dalam menangani perkahwinan kanak-kanak serta membentuk pandangan masyarakat mengenai amalan berbahaya ini. Walaupun kerajaan Malaysia telah berusaha, pembendungan perkahwinan kanak-kanak ini masih menghadapi beberapa cabaran. Sebilangan kelompok masyarakat setuju dan menyokong usaha kerajaan sementara sebahagian masyarakat yang lain menentang agenda pembaharuan undang-undang untuk menaikkan usia perkahwinan kepada 18 tahun untuk kedua-dua jantina. Oleh itu, tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk meninjau perspektif NGO Malaysia mengenai isu perkahwinan kanak-kanak. Perbincangan meja bulat (RTD) diadakan dengan kehadiran 11 anggota NGO Malaysia yang mewakili kepentingan kanak-kanak dan wanita. Perbincangan RTD yang dirakam ditranskripsikan secara verbatim sebelum dikodkan ke tema dan subtema tertentu. Kajian ini mendapati bahawa majoriti peserta menentang perkahwinan kanak-kanak kerana pelanggaran hak kanak-kanak, salah faham mengenai usia kanak-kanak dan konsep perkahwinan. Namun, beberapa organisasi Muslim memberikan alasan keagamaan untuk membenarkan perkahwinan kanak-kanak. Ini membawa kepada kepelbagaian pendirian antara wakil NGO daripada tidak bersetuju, setuju bersyarat dan setuju terhadap perkahwinan kanak-kanak. Beberapa justifikasi telah dikemukakan oleh para peserta yang menentang perkahwinan kanak-kanak seperti pelanggaran hak kanak-kanak, masalah kesihatan seksual dan reproduktif (SRH) dan kerentanan kanak-kanak. Selanjutnya, para peserta juga mencadangkan advokasi yang wajar CSO jalankan dalam mengakhiri perkahwinan kanak-kanak termasuk mengubah naratif sosial, memberi hak pendidikan kepada anak gadis dan menyediakan pendidikan SRH kepada kanak-kanak yang berisiko tinggi.

Article 11 of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia states that every individual has the right to profess, practice and preach his religion or belief. However, Article 11(4) of the Federal Constitution also states that the propagation of non-Islamic religions among Muslims is forbidden. This article aims to discuss both the justifications and the legal restrictions - that is, the legal provisions - that restrict and control the propagation of non-Islamic religions among Muslims in Malaysia. This discussion identifies three justifications for the prohibition of the propagation of non-Muslim religions among Muslims in Malaysia. The first justification relates to the background and history of the special status and position of Islam in Malaya; the second relates to the key role of Malay Rulers in preserving the sanctity of the Islamic religion from the pre-independence period to the present day; and the third justification relates to the nature of Islamic teachings and the maxim that apostasy is a crime. Legal provisions that control the propagation of non-Islamic religions among Muslims are found at both federal and state levels. However, the problem of legal enforcement and, in particular, the jurisdictional limitations of the Syariah Courts over non-Muslims in Malaysia result in a lack of implementation of these legal provisions. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

This study aims to examine the relationship between acceptance of the COVID-19 pandemic control measures, emotions and social interaction among Muslims attending congregational prayer at mosques in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted between August and September 2020 among 6690 Muslims using an online questionnaire consisting of three self-developed scales: acceptance of pandemic control measures, emotion and social interaction. Data were analysed using correlation and multiple regression analyses. Acceptance is negatively correlated with emotion (r =  − .247, p < .01), but positively with social interaction (r = .665, p < .01). Emotion and social interaction are negatively related (r =  − .366, p < .01). In the regression analysis, social interaction is predicted by acceptance (β = .608) and emotion (β =  − .215). Our findings reveal that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Muslims were receptive to the control measures but felt emptiness and yearned for congregational prayer in the mosque, although their social interaction was not much affected. The acceptance of pandemic control measures determined the social interaction among religious followers who have strong attachments to the places of worship, such as mosques in the Muslim community.

The polemic on the issue of child marriage has not only been debated among human rights groups in recent decades but has also been included in the discourse of contemporary Muslim scholars. Yusuf al-Qaradawi is a contemporary scholar who is responsive in discussing issues of women and girls that concern the international community, including child marriage. This article explores issue of child marriage from al-Qaradawi’s fiqh methodology, which offers solutions to contemporary societal issues according to the Islamic legal framework. Qualitative methods through a content analysis were used in al-Qaradawi’s work on Islamic law and child marriage. This article shows that al-Qaradawi’s position on the issue of child marriage is centred on the priority of protecting children’s rights from harmful traditional practices based on the Siyasah al-Shar’iyya. The government should adopt al-Qaradawi’s point of view to reforming the Islamic Family Law Enactment to protect the child’s best interest from this harmful practice.

Mahkamah syariah di Malaysia memberikan peluang terhadap pihak yang terkilan dengan keputusan mahkamah rendah membuat rayuan ke mahkamah yang lebih tinggi. Namun, persoalan sejauh mana rayuan mempunyai asas dalam sistem kehakiman Islam adalah suatu yang wajar untuk dibincangkan. Sehubungan itu, artikel ini bertujuan untuk membahaskan tentang konsep rayuan menurut hukum syarak, menganalisa petikan kes-kes rayuan yang terdapat dalam sumber hukum dan pandangan fuqaha terhadap rayuan dalam kehakiman Islam. Kajian ini menggunakan kaedah analisis dokumen yang dibuat secara deskriptif. Kajian mendapati perbahasan rayuan oleh fuqaha klasik sangat terhad dan hanya merujuk kepada keputusan yang bercanggah dengan hukum syarak dan pembetulan dibuat oleh hakim kedua. Amalan rayuan di mahkamah syariah pada masa kini telah mengadaptasi prosedur di mahkamah sivil yang membolehkan pihak yang terkilan memfailkan rayuan walaupun keputusan itu tidak bercanggah dengan hukum syarak. Kajian ini penting dalam menunjukkan evolusi sistem kehakiman Islam dalam menegakkan keadilan kepada pihak-pihak yang bertikai.

Academic education for children in detention institutions is a component of rehabilitation programs designed to encourage and shape positive behaviour. The objective of this study is to identify how far children in detention are given access to education as their basic human right. This research began by distributing questionnaires to 479 respondents and in-depth interviews with 72 children in six zones: north, middle, south, east, Sabah, and Sarawak. The researchers also conducted interviews in two separate focus group discussions, where each group comprised 4 to 6 officers who are experts in handling children in detention. The quantitative data research findings showed that the overall mean value for detained children's level of access to the right to academic education in their respective detention institutions was medium (Mean: 3.64, SP: 0.68). Based on 16 items that measure the right to academic education, the mean for each item scored between 2.77 to 4.20, demonstrating that the respondents gave medium to high scores regarding the right to academic education for children in detention institutions in Malaysia. The findings of the interviews revealed three sub-themes from an educational aspect, which are: (i) challenges in teachers' services, (ii) limited access to an academic program, and (iii) lack of learning facilities. Hence, this study can serve as a guideline to the Government and international agencies to collaborate in a joint effort to increase the quality of education service to children in detention centres.