Iranian Journal of Sociology

Abstract In the early 19th century, the beginning of modernization has in Islamic countries caused the clergymen and religious forces’ reaction against this phenomenon differently. Generally, some strong opponents and proponents of the rulers and jurists were formed in these countries. In this research study, we examined the role of Islamic Sharia in the modernization process in Iraq and Malaysia as two major Islamic countries. In addition, the research investigated the power of Sharia in those countries. Moreover, it addressed the way of the Muslim clerics, as Sharia defenders treat modernists in these countries. We used Davis s theory of barricades as our conceptual framework. The research findings demonstrated that Sharia has had different functions in Iran and Malaysia, meaning that it helped the modernization process in Malaysia, while it resisted any radical changes.