Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Religion
Peninsular Malaysia was Buddhist and Hindu for a thousand years before the local rulers
adopted Islam. Today Islam is the state religion of Malaysia, and freedom of religion is
guaranteed by the nation's constitution. The various Chinese religions are also strongly en-
trenched. Christianity has a presence, but it's never been strong in Peninsular Malaysia.
About the only major religion you won't come across is Judaism.
Islam in Malaysia: Perceptions & Facts by Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, the former Mufti of Perlis, is a collection
of articles on aspects of the faith as practised in Malaysia.
Islam
The religion is believed to have spread through contact with Indian Muslim traders and
gained such respect that by the mid-15th century the third ruler of Melaka, Maharaja Mo-
hammed Shah (r 1424-44), had converted. His son Mudzaffar Shah took the title of sultan
and made Islam the state religion. With its global trade links, Melaka became a hub for the
dissemination of Islam and the Malay language across the region.
The Malay strain of Islam is not like Arabia's more orthodox Islamic traditions. It ab-
sorbed rather than conquered existing beliefs, and was adopted peacefully by Malaysia's
coastal trading ports. Islamic sultanates replaced Hindu kingdoms - though the Hindu
concept of kings remained - and the Hindu traditions of adat continued despite Islamic law
dominating. Malay ceremonies and beliefs still exhibit pre-Islamic traditions, but most
Malays are ardent Muslims - to suggest otherwise would cause great offence.
With the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, the calls to introduce Islamic law and purify the
practices of Islam have increased; yet, while the federal government of Malaysia is keen to
espouse Muslim ideals, it is wary of religious extremism.
 
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