Governing Islam: The State, the Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA) and Islam in Singapore

Abstract

This article investigates the role of the state and state-sanctioned law in governing religion in Singapore. As in many other modern societies, the relationship between the secular state and religion is frequently the location of intense contest. In Singapore, that contest is between, on the one hand, the central power that controls Islamic law and, on the other, the marginal Muslim minority to whom that law is applied. To exert this control, the Singaporean Government has created an interlocking web of measures that ensures legal, political and social governance of religion. This article will focus on the Administration of Muslim Law Act and the bureaucratic and judicial institutions it regulates that determine the scope and interpretation of Islamic law in the island state.