Law of Malaysia

This was a direct result of the colonisation of Malaya, Sarawak, and North Borneo by Britain between the early 19th century to the 1960s.

The supreme law of the land—the Constitution of Malaysia—sets out the legal framework and rights of Malaysian citizens.

Adat (customary practices and tradition) provided Malay law before colonization.

Their jurisdiction is however limited to imposing fines for an amount not more than RM 5000, and imprisonment to not more than 3 years.

Article 11 of the Constitution provides that "Every person has the right to profess and practice his religion".

However, in the case of Lina Joy—a Malay who converted to Christianity—the Federal Court of Malaysia refused to allow her to change her religion indicated in her identity card (MyKad).

After the formation of Malaysia in 1963, the Federal Constitution was amended to include special provisions applicable to the regions of Sabah and Sarawak.

Some federal Acts of Parliament apply to these states differently on a number of matters, particularly on issues related to immigration, land and natural resource management.

In recent years, hudud has been attempted to be introduced by Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) in Kelantan.

Section 5 of Criminal Procedure Code states that English law shall be applied in cases where no specific legislation has been enacted.