Southeast Asian Track Fall Semester, 2007 Gender Equality in Malaysia: Islamic Feminism and Sisters in Islam

2 This thesis aims to analyze the work of Islamic feminist in Malaysia as well as explores the role of traditional Malay custom adat, and the relationship between non-governmental organizations and the state. It uses Sisters in Islam as a case study to discuss the Islamic feminist movement in Malaysia. This study uses books, journals, news papers, internet documents and interview information to analyze and discuss the research questions. It analyzed the impact of Islamization in Malaysia and the works of Islamic feminists to struggle for women’s rights. It also discussed the difficulties of Islamic feminists in Malaysia and the role of Malay traditional custom in Malay world. The theories of ‘contraction and expansion of religious knowledge ’ and the concept of ‘an accidental of history ’ explain how the Islamic feminists work for reinterpretation of the Qur’an. ‘Panopticon ’ is another theory used to explain and discuss the power o