IntroductionMalaysia is a secular state, so it is quite neutral in matters of religion despite Islam being the most professed religion and constituting 61.3% of the population in 2010.[ Available at http://www.statistics.gov.my/portal/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1215%3Apopulation-distribution-and-basic-demographic-characteristic-report-population-and-housing- census-malaysia-2010-updated-2972011&catid=130%3Apopulation-distribution-and-basic-demographic-characteristic-report-population-and-housing-census-malaysia-2010&lang=en] However, since the 1970s, c t has been a number of episodes of Islamic revival and movements led by people who want to see Malaysia transform into an Islamic state. In the 1970s, under the New Economic Policy (NEP) [The New Economic Policy (NEP) is an affirmative action program of socioeconomic restructuring launched by the Malaysian government in 1971.], a large number of Malaysian students were enrolled in universities, some of whom studied abroad and were in turn influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. In Malaysia, the most influential Islamic revivalist group among young people at the time was known as ABIM or Malayan Islamic Youth Movement, formed in 1971. ABIM focused on "dakwah" [In Malaysia, the term is commonly used to describe organizations dedicated to raising the level of Islamic consciousness and bringing about conversions.] (reaffirmation) activity and propagation of Islamic principles. "Dakwah" movements are viewed with alarm by moderate Malays and the groups practicing them are seen as extremist, with the government keeping a close watch on their activities. Other important Islamic groups besides ABIM are PAS or Pan-Malay Islamic Party, KMM...... middle of document ......tt, Sung Hee Kim, Social Conflict: Escalation, Stalemate and Settlement Second edition ( McGraw -Hill, 1994).Kamarulnizam Abdullah, The Politics of Islam in Contemporary Malaysia (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 2003).Kamaruzzaman Bustamam-Ahmad, The Discourse of the Islamic State and Islamic Law in Malaysia, Asian Transformations in Action (The Nippon Foundation, 2009).Koh Swe Yong, Malaysia: 45 Years under the ISA (SIRD, 2004).Oliver Ramsbotham, Tom Woodhouse, Hugh Miall, Contemporary Conflict Resolution Third Edition (Polity, 2011).ArticlesSharifah Zaleha Syed Hassan, Islam, State and Civil Society in Malaysia: The Case of the Al Arqam, NIASnytt Asia Insights, 4 December 2004. Internet Sources Department of Statistics, Malaysia - http://www.statistics.gov.my/portal/index.phpThe Star Online (Malaysian newspaper) - http://thestar.com.my/