History of Development and Reform of Family Law in Indonesia and Malaysia

This study aims to determine the history of the development and reform of Islamic family law in Indonesia and Malaysia. The writing method of this article uses a comparison. It compares the history of the development and reform of Islamic family law in Indonesia and Malaysia. As a result, Indonesia and Malaysia have experienced dynamic developments and reforms in the Islamic family law pre and post-independence. Both countries are Muslim-majority countries, so Islamic law, especially the Islamic family, will develop over time. As for the difference, in Indonesia, even though the Muslim majority is more than 85%, discussion of the draft law on Muslim marriage or family always becomes an issue. It is related to establishing the State Foundation of Pancasila, which accommodates all religions. After the 1998 reform, democracy was broadly applicable. It causes the desire to formalize Islamic teachings into a positive legal system to become increasingly stronger. In Indonesia, there is some difficulty in reforming family law regarding the issue between Islamists, nationalists, Muslims, and followers of other religions. It differs from Malaysia, which established Islam as the official state religion. Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country in Southeast Asia and became the most dynamic in reviewing its Muslim family law provisions. Keywords: Islam, family law, history, Indonesia, Malaysia