From: sya@admin.keh.utulsa.edu (Syed Shibli)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.asean
Subject: Re: Hudud Laws
Date: 17 Aug 92 14:53:02 GMT
Organization: Yale CS Mail/News Gateway

From the keyboard of Teck Loh, who writes:

>A lot of questions may sound stupid to you but not to the non-muslim. You
>mentioned that Islam has laws against discrimination. However, I am dissapointed 
>that none of my muslim fellows have raise the "Malay Priviledge Law" which
>I definitely think that it is a discrimination law against the poor chinese
>and the poor Indians. What do you think will be the punishment for this 

  I hesitate to offer my comments regarding this issue for the simple 
  reason that they would more likely invite rancor on the part of a
  lot of Malays. Suffice it to say that the current government in 
  Malaysia is not an Islamic government, and its laws (or lack of, 
  depending on who you talk to) against discrimination are different
  from the Islamic perspective.

  From my personal experiences when discussing the issue of special 
  Malay privileges, I can only say that I have met a considerable 
  number of Malays who are opposed to such privileges for a number
  of reasons, the most common ones being that:

  (a) They discriminate against citizens of other races.
  (b) They are liable to promote a kind of smug, self-reassurance.
  (c) More political and economic competition is likely to prove
      beneficial to a lot of Malays.

  Likewise, for very obvious reasons, a lot of Malays are fierce
  proponents of the ideas of special privileges and the like. A 
  discussion of why these special privileges have been granted to
  to the Malays would involve a host of complex social, historical, 
  and economic factors, which, if it weren't for my lack of expertise 
  in this matter, and my fear of making a complete idiot of myself,
  I would have loved to plunge blissfully into.

>discrimination under the hadad law and for corruption, I don't know how many
>of our government officers will have their hands "potong".  I think it will
>be better if some of our muslim friends can tell us where we can a copy
>of the so-called "hudud laws".

  Corruption can be defined under stealing, or embezzlement, or even
  slander. It's a term that generally means something bad. Laws pertaining
  to such inimical acts against the State or another individual would
  likewise be dependent on which category they fall under. Here's a couple
  of references on Islamic Jurisprudence that you might want to muse over
  (aside from a reading of the Holy Quran):
 
  (1) The principles of State and Government in Islam, Muhammad Asad,
      University of California Press (1961).

  (2) The concept of State and Law in Islam, Farooq Hassan, University
      Press of America (1981).

  For a decidedly Western perspective on the subject, read:

  (3) An introduction to Islamic Law, Joseph Schacht, Clarendon Press
      (1964).

  Your University library is more likely to contain many more references
  to this subject. 

--
                                          --Syed Shibli
                                            +1 918 631 3257
                                            sya@admin.keh.utulsa.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.asean