이슬람에서 보편주의의 실현 가능성 연구

A Study on the Possibility of Universalism in Islam - the Case of Malaysia -

This paper was written to explore the possibility of universalism and pluralism in Islam through the case of Malaysia. Malaysia is one of the Islamic countries that have allowed pluralism and universalism in the fields of religion, culture, society, and politics. So the ethnic pluralism, religious pluralism, and political universalism of Malaysia will be a good model to the Arab and Islamic countries, including Egypt. In Chapter Ⅱ, the Islamic situation of Malaysia and its problems are presented. Malaysia has accomplished notable economic and technological developments and has achieved political stability and inter-ethnic peace and inter-religious cooperation. But this fragile ethnic peace, political democracy, women and minorities' rights, and religious freedom all have many critics. In chapter Ⅲ, the possibility of universalism in political Islam is depicted. On the basis of inter-ethnic pluralism and inter-religious peace, Malaysia has to some extent achieved a kind of universalism in politics. But the Malay community, the majority ethnic group within the majority multiethnic Muslim community in Malaysia, has been faced with new challenges, especially with regard to religious, political, economic, sociocultural, and demographic issues. Now the minorities want to change the characteristic of Islam from Malay Islam to Malaysian Islam. In chapter Ⅳ, new challenges by religions (including Islam) and other ethnicities (Chinese and Hindu) on the political universalism in Malaysia are explained. Religious conversion and Muslim apostasy are new challenges and hot issues in Malaysia, and deeply related with the country's complex pattern of ethnicity, religiosity, and power structure. In chapter Ⅴ, the possibility of change in political Islam is presented. Political Islam is a central force in Malaysia. This can be inferred from both demographic and historical facts. Demographically, the Malay Muslim majority is a strong political power. Historically, Malaydominated power structure has been regarded as a Malaysian political reality. As long as the destiny of the Malay identity is closely tied up to Islam and ethnicity, political Islam in Malaysia will not be changed sharply. In the case of Malaysia, it is said the political universalism will be possible, because religious and ethnic pluralism has been developed for more than three decades. But in the case of Egypt, it is hard to say if a similar political universalism will ever be possible, because in spite of the Arab Spring in 2011, there has been no movement towards religious and cultural pluralism and because strong political Islam is still influential.