Death Penalty in Malaysia: Current Issues & The Shariah Perspective

Islamic Law Talk Series (ILTS):
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BACKGROUND
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The twentieth-century international campaign for the abolition of the death penalty was given a shot in the arm by two important treatises: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948, and the United Nation's Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1966. The period also saw European and American laws undergoing evolutions parallel to that of the United Nations, like the European Convention on Human Rights 1950, the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man 1948, and the American Convention on Human Rights 1969.
In Muslim countries, this abolitionist trend has also gained traction. Even in countries that have retained the death penalty, the practice of issuing temporary suspensions or minimising the number of actual executions has increasingly become the norm in many Muslim-majority states. In light of recent high-profile cases involving death penalty in the country, such as the execution of Nagaenthran in Singapore and several drug-related arrests involving prominent individuals, this public talk covers the shariah perspectives on the capital punishment, particularly on its scope, its mandatory status, as well as aspects of reconciliation and forgiveness embedded in Islamic law.

International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies

Jalan Elmu, Off Jalan University, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia