Nurulkamilah Matkamil Micheal Agnew March 6th 2012 1072 words Question: Compare the varieties of religious authority discussed in the textbook with your experience of “authority” in your local community. Leadership plays a significant role in community development. With it comes the notion of an authority or power to govern, to make decisions and to enforce obedience. Malaysia is a multicultural and multireligious country under parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarchy. There is also a separation of power between the federal and state level government. Religious authority, mainly Islam, falls under the state government. Every state has their own mufti who acts as a religious advisor and issue fatwas (Lee). In the early days of Malaysia’s history, much of religious authority is centred on imams at a kampong, or village level (Means). The imams are the privileged few who had the opportunity to do thei