Malaysia does not fulfil any conditions of a civil state as defined from a Western perspective, a forum heard today.

"If you listened to my presentation, Malaysia doesn't at all fulfil the conditions of a civil state," said Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF) director Dr Farouk Musa during a question-and-answer session after a two-hour roundtable discussion held at the Royal Selangor Golf Club in Kuala Lumpur.

The discussion titled "Is Civil State Islamic? Reflecting on Politics and Society" also featured Egyptian-born scholar Dr Heba Raouf Ezzat, Parti Amanah Negara strategy director Dzulkefly Ahmad and political analyst Maszlee Malik.

In his presentation, Farouk had cited the Western definition of a civil state, summed up as a system that safeguards the public and allows the public to challenge the law...