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What many people don’t know is that on May 14, 1991, Sarawak became the first state in Malaysia to introduce a full set of Islamic laws, which included acts on criminal and civil procedures, criminal offences and family law.
However, as Prime Minister Abang Johari has always stressed, Sarawak is a multi-religious, multi-racial state that will “protect the rights and interests of every individual in accordance with the five ‘fundamental principles of Islam’ to safeguard life, property, health, religion and dignity”.
In Sarawak, Islamic law is also guided by the principle of inclusivity, which does not include any mention of sharia law, which includes punishments such as amputation, stoning and caning.
The “Sarawak model” of maintaining harmony and managing diversity is attributed to the close collaboration between the Sarawak government, religious elites and civil society.
Sarawak’s political leaders, especially the chief minister, are the state’s mainstay against exclusivism. For decades, the chief minister has been from a minority ethnic group, underscoring the importance of ethnic tolerance in the state’s politics.
Sarawakians may also be able to maintain their progressive stance in the context of their predominantly Muslim neighbours on the island of Borneo, such as Pontianak (West Kalimantan), Brunei and Samarinda (East Kalimantan) – countries with varying approaches to inclusion and exclusion.
In some ways, Sarawak’s tolerance and celebration of diversity is similar to Pontianak – where ethnic Chinese and Dayak minorities coexist harmoniously – but unlike Brunei, which is a homogenous Malay/Muslim sultanate. While Islamization in Brunei is similar to that in Peninsular Malaysia, it has yet to penetrate Sarawak.
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