Shariah and Special Education: Ethical and Religious Considerations in Curriculum and Parental Decision-Making in Malaysia – A Comparative Perspective

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-662-3_17How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Shariah; Special Education; Maqasid al Shariah; Parental Decision Making and Islamic Ethics

Abstract

This paper examines the ethical and religious dimensions of special education within the framework of Shariah in Malaysia, focusing particularly on curriculum development and parental decision making. Although Malaysia has made progressive strides in inclusive education policy, a critical gap remains in the integration of Islamic ethical principles, particularly those derived from Maqasid al shariah, into special education practice. This paper argues that meaningful inclusion of children with disabilities, known locally as OKU, must be grounded not only in pedagogical frameworks but also in religious and moral imperatives that preserve human dignity, promote justice, and uphold parental responsibilities. Through a critical review of Malaysia’s current policies, the study identifies areas where ethical ambiguity persists, such as choices related to therapy, access to religious instruction, and the scope of parental authority. Drawing comparisons from Muslim majority countries including Indonesia, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, this paper benchmarks good practices in aligning Shariah with inclusive educational strategies. It concludes by offering policy and institutional recommendations to strengthen the religious and ethical foundations of special education in Malaysia, thereby enabling a more holistic and spiritually responsive education system.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Download article (PDF)

TY  - CONF
AU  - Azwan Ismail
AU  - Mohd Zuri Ghani
AU  - Muhammad Nizam Adhaa
AU  - Muhammad Amin
AU  - Mohd Nor Afiq
AU  - Muhammad Amran
AU  - Muhammad Fitri Radzuan
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/14
TI  - Shariah and Special Education: Ethical and Religious Considerations in Curriculum and Parental Decision-Making in Malaysia – A Comparative Perspective
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Cross- Disciplinary Academic Research 2025 - Track 3 Advances in Humanities, Education, Teaching, Learning & Arts (ICAR-T3 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 249
EP  - 258
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-662-3_17
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-662-3_17
ID  - Ismail2026
ER  -