Islamic soft power: Malaysia well-positioned to consolidate its global leadership on halal branding and governance

Mohamad Shukri, Syaza Farhana (2025) Islamic soft power: Malaysia well-positioned to consolidate its global leadership on halal branding and governance. ISEAS Perspective, N/A (2025/89). pp. 1-10. ISSN 2335-6677

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Abstract

Malaysia has successfully transformed halal governance from religious compliance into a strategic tool of soft power. Through JAKIM and Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC), halal became both a moral brand and an economic driver across food, finance, tourism, cosmetics, and logistics. Successive Malaysian leaders, from Mahathir Mohamad to Abdullah Badawi and current Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, embedded halal into Malaysia’s development agenda and diplomacy, turning it into a platform for projecting Islamic modernity and reinforcing Malaysia’s image as a moderate Muslim state and global halal hub. Although Indonesia, Thailand, and the Gulf states are asserting their own halal certification regimes, Malaysia retains a first-mover advantage. Indonesia, despite its size and reforms, still struggles with fragmentation, inconsistent promotion, and limited global visibility, thus leaving it far from seriously challenging Malaysia’s dominance at the moment. In order to sustain influence in a fragmented global halal economy, Malaysia needs to reimagine halal through environmental, social, and governance (ESG)-aligned “ethical halal” and regional coordination (e.g. an ASEAN Halal Standard), while embedding its strategy in the Madani framework of ethics, justice, and inclusivity.

Item Type:	Article (Electronic Media)
Additional Information:	8365/124404
Subjects:	J Political Science > JZ International relations
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences > Department of Political Science
Depositing User:	Dr. Syaza Farhana Mohamad Shukri
Date Deposited:	19 Nov 2025 15:09
Last Modified:	19 Nov 2025 15:10
Queue Number:	2025-11-Q010
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/124404

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