Publication

This working paper presents a history of Malaysian Ulama, a community of legal scholars of Islam and the Sharia, focusing on its religious-political role from the 1940s to the 1980s. The paper introduces the Ulama's role in the Muslim world and history. Subsequently, the paper outlines the Ulama's relation with the British colonial authority and Japanese occupation, reviews the battle for authority of Islam and summarizes their role in Malay national development since independence. The paper argues that the Ulama have generally maintained a symbiotic relationship with the various political authorities.