ANALYSIS OFICERD CONNOTATION AND ITS APPLICATION IN THE CONTEXT OF ISLAM & MALAY SUPREMACY IN MALAYSIA

Abstract

— ICERD is a term that has shocked Malaysia and has been a major focus of Malaysians, especially
the Malays in recent years. It is associated with the privileges of the landlords to Malaysia formerly known
as Malaya and probably could destabilize Islam as the official religion. In the wake of international decisionmaking under the auspices of the United Nations, there has been a suggestion by the Malaysian government
that the ICERD be adopted as a pillar of nationalism in celebrating religious, racial and ethnic diversity.
However, the proposal was rejected by those who viewed the supremacy of a nation's sovereignty. This is
because the principle of ICERD is capable of making landlords an immigrant, or it is capable of imparting
the rights of every religion in a country. This study is qualitative by using a library study method. The data
in this study are from classical and contemporary Islamic sources. Researchers analyzed data obtained using
content analysis approach. This study aimed to analyze the issue of ICERD in the context of international
declarations, aspects of Malay supremacy, to do with Islam and the implications of its ratification in the
Malaysian context. The study found that the consideration of Sharia and matters involving Islam as the
official religion of Malaysia shall be paramount in assessing the extent of the impact of the ratification of
ICERD to the sovereignty of Islam, the Malay supremacy and privilege. This study is expected to help the
government, politicians and individuals who are involved with the legislature to purify the issues and find
solutions related to ICERD in Malaysia.