Such differences have enabled errant men to circumvent the law to their own advantage. Reform will not be quick. But it is time to begin the process. The public outcry, echoed in the national press, and the calls for a more moderate application of Islamic laws are welcome reactions to the rising conservatism. Many citizens are no longer willing to obey rulings and pronouncements made in the name of Islam if they are, in effect, unjust.
Obscurantism has little resonance among the educated, modern middle class of Malaysia.
Calling for reform is not an easy task. The prime minister has been criticized at Friday sermons for doing so. When Dr. Mahathir speaks on the subject, he receives little back-up from the political figures who usually echo his thoughts and exhortations faster than the speed of sound. Therein lies the contradiction and challenges of a modern democratic nation like Malaysia, where religion is part of public life. The opinion of the state religious authorities is merely a human effort to interpret the limitless message of the Koran.