Islamic Radicalism in Malaysia: gender perspective

AbstractThe content of this paper is a report prepared by a research group on the perspective of women on various issues related to Islamic radicalism, i.e., concept, phenomenon and Islamic societies. This study also examines women's level of understanding about Islam, nature and the factors that led to radical behaviour and effects of radical action. Results are presented based on 863 survey respondents amongst Muslim women elected from several states in Malaysia. Primary data collection was undertaken through a set of structured questionnaires. There are three significant findings from the initial study. First, this study found that women's understanding of Islam is comparatively lower than male respondents. This level of understanding has affected their perceptions of radical phenomena. Second, their perception on the phenomenon of radicalism is also lower than male respondents