THE LEGAL AND SHARIAH FRAMEWORK FOR THE CRIME OF DIGITAL VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN MALAYSIA: AN ANALYTICAL STUDY: THE LEGAL AND SHARIAH FRAMEWORK FOR THE CRIME OF DIGITAL VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN MALAYSIA: AN ANALYTICAL STUDY

Muhammad Laeba; Mohamed Rashid Ab Razak; Mohmed  Ibrahim Negasi; Abdulbari Almabrouk Alfaytouri Amhimmid; Mariam Mat Daud; Nasar Muneer Ahmad

doi:10.33102/mjsl.vol14no1.1706

Authors

Muhammad Laeba Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws, International Islamic University Malaysia, 53100 Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3156-1332
Mohamed Rashid Ab Razak Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws, International Islamic University Malaysia, 53100 Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5088-2182
Mohmed Ibrahim Negasi Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws, International Islamic University Malaysia, 53100 Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia
Abdulbari Almabrouk Alfaytouri Amhimmid Faculty of Law, Sabratha University, Zalten, 22312 Sabratha, Libya
Mariam Mat Daud Faculty of Islamic Civilization Studies, Universiti Islam Selangor (UIS) Bandar Seri Putra, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
Nasar Muneer Ahmad Faculty of Sharia, Panjshir University, Bazarak, 1401 Panjshir, Afghanistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33102/mjsl.vol14no1.1706

Keywords:

Digital violence, cyber violence, cyber harassment, cyberstalking, al-ʿUnf al-Raqmī, al-Sharīʿah al-Islāmiyyah, al-ʿUnf al-Ilikturūnī, al-Taḥarrush al-Ilikturūnī, al-Mulāḥaqah al-Ilikturūnī

Abstract

Digital violence against women is one of the most prominent legal, social, and ethical challenges facing most countries in the contemporary era, especially with the global expansion in the use of 5G networks and digital technologies, as it is a transcontinental crime. Social media platforms have become a double-edged sword, capable of achieving both good and evil, and now occupy a significant space in modern life. Digital violence against women poses a serious threat to Muslim societies, including Malaysia. The central problem of this paper lies in the existence of a clear legislative and security gap in addressing digital violence against women in many Muslim-majority countries, including Malaysia as the study context. Existing positive laws and modern legislation lack explicit, specific provisions that criminalize all forms of digital violence against individuals, especially vulnerable groups such as women and children, including crimes like cyberstalking, extortion, and threats. This study examined the concept of digital violence against women and proposed a legal definition of the term. It also explored the prevalent forms of digital violence against women in Muslim societies and analyzed specific cases of such violence in Malaysia. Subsequently, the researchers analyzed the Shariah and legal frameworks for protecting women from digital violence in Malaysia and assessed their current effectiveness, employing descriptive and analytical methodologies supported by an inductive approach based on a variety of available sources. The findings revealed a legislative gap in Malaysian laws, as current statutes do not cover all forms of digital violence against women and lack specific provisions addressing it. Additionally, there are executive and security challenges that hinder the efforts of relevant authorities. The study recommends enacting specific legislation targeting digital violence to protect vulnerable groups like women and children or at least amending existing laws to incorporate articles that criminalize this type of violence. It also advocates for strengthening oversight mechanisms and raising community awareness about the seriousness of this crime, which transcends the digital space into the physical reality.

ملخّص البحث

تُعدُّ قضية العنف الرقمي ضد المرأة من أبرز التحديات القانونية والاجتماعية والأخلاقية التي تواجه معظم الدول في العصر الراهن، لا سيما مع انتشار استخدام شبكات الجيل الخامس ( (5Gوالتقنيات الرقمية، باعتبارها من الجرائم العابرة للحدود. وقد أصبحت منصات التواصل الاجتماعي سلاحاً ذا حدين، قادرة على تحقيق الخير والشر، كما باتت تحتل حيزاً كبيراً في الحياة المعاصرة. ويشكل العنف الرقمي ضد المرأة تهديداً جدياً للمجتمعات الإسلامية. وتكمن إشكالية الدراسة في وجود فجوة تشريعية وأمنية واضحة في مواجهة العنف الرقمي ضد المرأة في ماليزيا. فالقوانين الوضعية والتشريعات الحديثة المتاحة لا تتضمن نصوصاً صريحة خاصة تجرّم جميع أشكال العنف الرقمي ضد الإنسان، وخاصة الفئات الضعيفة كالمرأة والأطفال. تناولت هذه الدراسة مفهوم العنف الرقمي ضد المرأة، مع تقديم مقترح لتعريف العنف الرقمي ضد المرأة من منظور قانوني. وفي سياق البحث بيّن الباحثون أشكال العنف الرقمي ضد المرأة، مع دراسة لبعض حالات العنف الرقمي ضد المرأة في ماليزيا. يضاف إلى ذلك إجراء الدراسة لتحليل فقهي للإطارين الشرعي والقانوني لحماية المرأة من العنف الرقمي وتقييم فعاليتهما في الوقت الحاضر، وذلك اعتماداً على المنهجين الوصفي والتحليلي، مع الاستعانة بالمنهج الاستقرائي لمجموعة من المصادر المتوفرة. وكشفت النتائج عن فجوة تشريعية في القوانين الماليزية؛ حيث لا تغطي التشريعات الحالية جميع أشكال العنف الرقمي ضد المرأة، كما تفتقر إلى نصوص خاصة بالعنف الرقمي ضد المرأة. بالإضافة إلى وجود تحديات تنفيذية وأمنية تعوق جهود الجهات المختصة، ويُبنى تجريم العنف على الأصول الشرعية من القرآن والسنة التي حرّمت تتبع العورات وإيذاء المؤمنات. وبهذا، وتوصي الدراسة بسن تشريع خاص بالعنف الرقمي، أو تعديل التشريعات القائمة لإدراج نصوص صريحة تجرّم مختلف صوره، مع تعزيز آليات الحماية والرقابة والتوعية المجتمعية.

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