SEXUALITY, ISLAM AND POLITICS IN MALAYSIA: A STUDY ON THE SHIFTING STRATEGIES OF REGULATION

Abstract

Many constituencies are implicated in the assertion of `Syariah¿ but how this bears upon sexual marginals is an area of research that remains understudied. By tracing the genealogy and mechanics of `Syariah¿ in Malaysia, this study shows how `Syariahtisation¿ ¿ a politically driven enterprise to promote and reinforce hegemonic Islam ¿ has produced a powerful meta-narrative that reifies heteronormativity and its abhorrence of sexual and gender diversity. With this, the enforcement of `Islamic¿ moral laws, though irregular, serves to keep lesbians, gays, and transgenders in line. While the state has muted most challenges to its sexual dictates, its authority is not absolute and instead depends on the same actors it enlists to defend official Islam. The Syariah lobby, comprising religious functionaries and ethno-religious nationalists, may give the impression that politicised Islam is homogenous, unchangeable and formidable, but also reveals its fragility as a tool of governance and control.