Thesis (Ph. D.)--Brunel University, 1989. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 356-364).

Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio University, August, 2004. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 114-121)

In July, 1969, the Malaysian Minister of Education announced 'a new education policy' under which English, Chinese and Tamil schools were required to begin the process of conversion to Malay medium instruction in stages, beginning in 1970. This policy to introduce Malay as the medium of instruction took roughly forty years to evolve. The aim of this study is to examine how this was achieved through four phases of politics and government in West Malaysia: (i) The British Colonial Administration, 1930-1941; (ii) The Post-War Colonial Administration, 1945-1954; (iii) The Alliance Government, 1955-1961, and (iv) The Alliance Government, 1962-1971. It was observed in this study that though non-Malay demands for the preservation of their vernacular schools were persistent and consistent they lacked political unity and cohesiveness in successfully pursuing their demands. The Malays, in contrast were initially apathetic towards the language question. They became politicized during the period preceding Independence, however and were able to establish their political supremacy. A consequence of this was that they were able to pursue a communally oriented language policy with great effectiveness so that Malay became established as the medium of instruction. The policy was successfully pursued by a series of Government Ordinances and Acts that were designed to ensure that the provisions of the Constitution with regards to the Malay language were adhered to while permitting flexibility in their implementation. However, it was found that the constitutional contract between the Malays and the non-Malays was an important and integral aspect of the policy making Malay the medium of instruction. Perhaps the most important reason for the successful establishment of the policy lies in the gradualistic and incremental nature in which the policy was implemented. / Arts, Faculty of / Political Science, Department of / Graduate

The aim of this thesis is to examine how the Islamization phenomenon has influenced zakat. The study shows that the distribution of the fund for income generation is a manifestation of the impact of Islamization on the zakat institution. Islamization is an outgrowth of increased religious awareness among Muslims and greater governmental concern with Islamic matters. Such a phenomenon might be initiated either by society or by government. In the case of zakat, a religious duty, the institution has been revived and shaped to become a potentially useful development tool, causing Muslims to look to existing initiatives, in this case income generation, to improve the disbursement system. The greater role of zakat in the economy has also entailed new interpretations of law by means of ijtihad, as the new mechanism to a certain extent is adoption of modern practice originally outside of Islamic realm. Income generation through zakat is a new way of distribution whereby the zakat fund is used for helping the poor to generate their own income. Discussion of the new idea began in the mid-twentieth century and has been implemented in a few Muslim countries. In a country which was clearly moving towards the formation of an Islamic State, namely Pakistan, the effort to introduce the initiative could be seen as part of the effort to achieve a fully religious government. By contrast, where a government, like that of Indonesia, tends to remain neutral in regard to religion, income generation has been mainly part of a societal agenda. In both cases, the zakat rulings will change according to the form taken by Islamization in the country. Malaysia, the country given a special focus in this thesis, is an example of Islamization as initiated by both government and society. The Islamization of society in the 1970s led the secular government to become accommodative towards Islam. Zakat was gradually rejuvenated through better administration and was eventually proposed for active involvement in poverty eradication. The tradition hence has been transformed into a development institution which is not merely religious in nature. In a federation such as Malaysia, policies outlined by the federal government will be followed by the states. Selangor, as the most active state in offering income generation through zakat, has been chosen for further elaboration in this study. Looking at zakat’s financial potential, the state has embraced the institution as part of its development program. Society and the state government have cooperated in supporting the implementation of income generation. Income generation in this context complements the state’s development effort. In addition, ijtihad has been employed to accommodate the changes in the practice of zakat. In sum, the thesis shows how the Islamization phenomenon has influenced religious institutions in general and zakat in particular. It appears that the institution can adapt to contemporary challenges, depending on the societal, economic and political agendas of a modern state.

published_or_final_version / Comparative Asian Studies / Master / Master of Arts

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