Malaysia’s leading Islamist party, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), has accelerated its efforts to expand the scope of sharia law ahead of the upcoming national elections. On Wednesday, August 13th, 2026, the Kelantan state assembly, dominated by PAS, unanimously approved amendments to the Kelantan Syariah Offences Enactment Bill. These amendments aim to circumvent constitutional barriers that have previously prevented the criminalisation of certain acts under Islamic law.

In 2024, Malaysia’s apex court ruled that 16 provisions in an earlier set of sharia law amendments were unconstitutional because the offences—ranging from sodomy to incest and intoxication—overlapped with common law, which takes precedence in criminal cases. The new amendments address these concerns by using broader terminology; for example, replacing specific descriptions of sexual acts like sodomy with general prohibitions against using limbs or intimate parts for sexual purposes contrary to Islamic law.

Political analysts note that the success of implementing these amendments is less critical than PAS demonstrating its commitment to broadening sharia law to its Malay-Muslim majority base before the general election. Mazlan Ali, a political analyst at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, stated, “PAS knows that Islamic sharia law cannot be implemented by the state as long as the Malaysian constitution is not amended.”

This legislative move by PAS in Kelantan reflects its ambition to assert greater federal influence through Islamic legal frameworks, even as constitutional constraints remain a significant hurdle.

Sources