MULT-CULTURALISM AND LEGAL PLURALISM -ITS MEANING

1. What does it cover? Multic-cluturalism: A philosophy that recognizes ethnic diversity within a society and that encourages others to be enlightened by worthwhile contributions to society by those of diverse ethnic backgrounds.

2 Legal pluralism is the existence of multiple legal systems within one geographic area. Legal pluralism also occurs when different laws govern different groups within a country. For example, in India andMalaysia, there are special Islamic courts that address concerns in Muslim communities by following Islamic law principles. Secular courts deal with the issues of other communities. Legal pluralism also exists to an extent in societies where the legal systems of the indigenous population have been given some recognition. In Australia, for example, the Mabo decision gave recognition to native title and thus elements of traditional Aboriginal law. (Malaysia: Adong bin Kuwau’s case)