At the first level, as had been often repeated, Islam has been made the
official religion of Malaysia and freedom of worship is guaranteed by
the Constitution. Thus, as mentioned in the opening remarks, other religions
are visibly practiced everywhere in Malaysia. The state in general
supports Islamic religious establishments and its official policy of infusing
‘Islamic values’ into the administration of the country. These efforts
are executed through the Department of Islamic Development (Jabatan
Kemajuan Islam Malaysia, or JAKIM for short) at federal level; and the
Council for Islamic Religious Affairs and Malay Customs (Majlis
Agama Islam dan Adat Istiadat Melayu) at state level. Perhaps, it is
worth noting that In Malaysia, since the time of British administration,
the official week-end for most states in Malaysia had always been Sunday,
which was the Christian traditional holiday. To Muslims, Friday
would be more appropriate as a day of rest. The authority could have
changed the practice, but had chosen to retain Sunday as the official
week-end. Only three states—Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah—have
their week-end on Friday. Johore and Perlis too used to have their holiday
on Friday, but changed it to Sunday in the middle of 1990s. This
gesture, though often over-looked, contributed significantly towards
maintaining goodwill among the general population. At the very least, it
did not disturb status quo.