Religion in Malaysia (2020)
 ;templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" / ;   Islam
 (63.5%) ;templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" / ;   Buddhism
 (18.7%) ;templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" / ;   Christianity
 (9.1%) ;templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" / ;   Hinduism
 (6.1%) ;templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" / ;   No religion
 (1.8%) ;templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" / ;  Other religions (0.9%)
Islam is the state religion of Malaysia, as per Article 3 of the Constitution. Meanwhile, other religions can be practised by non-Malay citizens of the country. In addition, per Article 160, one must be Muslim to be considered Malay. As of the 2020 Population and Housing Census, 63.5 percent of the population practices Islam; 18.7 percent Buddhism; 9.1 percent Christianity; 6.1 percent Hinduism; and 2.7 percent other religion or gave no information. The remainder is accounted for by other faiths, including Animism, Folk religion, Sikhism, Baháʼí Faith and other belief systems. The states of Sarawak and Penang and the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur have non-Muslim majorities. Numbers of self-described atheists in Malaysia are few as renouncing Islam is prohibited for Muslims in Malaysia. As such, the actual number of atheists or converts in the country is hard to ascertain out of fear from being ostracised or prosecution. The state has come under criticism from human rights organisations for the government's discrimination against atheists, with some cabinet members saying that "the freedom of religion is not the freedom from religion".
Islam in Malaysia is represented by the Shafi'i version of Sunni theology and the practice of any other form of the religion (such as Shia Islam) is heavily restricted by the government. The constitution guarantees freedom of religion while establishing Islam as the "religion of the Federation" to symbolise its importance to Malaysian society. Malaysian Chinese practice various faiths: Mahayana Buddhism and Chinese traditional religions (including Taoism). Hinduism is practised by the majority of Malaysian Indians. Christianity has established itself in some communities, especially in East Malaysia.
Relations between Islam and the other religious groups in the country are generally quite tolerant, even though members of different religious groups do tend to have more homogeneous personal relations, particularly based on ethnicity and religion. Eids, Wesak, Christmas, Lunar New Year, and Deepavali have been declared national holidays. Race, religion and politics are closely intertwined in Malaysia, and various groups have been set up to try to promote religious understanding among the different groups.
Religious distribution.
All of the world's major religions have substantial representation in Malaysia. The Population and Housing Censuses figures shows approximately these proportions of the population following these religions:
All the Malaysian Malay people are Muslim by law. Most Malaysian Chinese follow Mahayana Buddhism or Chinese traditional religion (including Taoism, Confucianism, and ancestor worship). Statistics from the 2010 Census indicate that 83.6% of Malaysia's ethnic Chinese identify as Buddhist, with significant numbers of adherents following Taoism (3.4%) and Christianity (11.1%). The percentage of practitioners of the Chinese folk religions may be higher, as many practise both Buddhism and folk religions.
Christianity is the predominant religion of the non-Malay Bumiputra community (46.5%) with an additional 40.4% identifying as Muslims. Many indigenous tribes of East Malaysia have converted to Christianity, although Christianity has made fewer inroads into Peninsular Malaysia.
Religion by regions.
Distribution maps.
Below maps are distribution of religion in Malaysia by district, as of 2020 census.
Law and politics.
Malaysia is a multi-religious society, but while the Malaysian constitution theoretically guarantees freedom of religion, Islam is the official religion of the federation, as well as the legally presumed faith of all ethnic Malays. No ethnic Malay is allowed to leave Islam, while non-Malay Muslims seeking to apostatise require permission from a sharia court, which is rarely granted. Religious beliefs follow ethnic lines.
Holidays have been declared for holy days in numerous religions, although only Islam has more than one national holiday. Whether a religion obtains approval of the government is determined by the Registrar of Societies, part of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Only upon approval do they qualify for government benefits. However, unrecognised groups such as the Falun Gong can practise by registering themselves under the Companies Act, although this means that technical violations of the act can result in a fine.
The government believes the constitution provides a strong enough guarantee of religious freedom and should not be changed. Some restrictions are made on Malay texts from non-Islamic religions in Peninsular Malaysia, however, there are much less restrictions in East Malaysia. Some private schools have required Muslim girls to wear veils. The MyKad identity card states whether the holder is a Muslim or not.
As Islam is the state religion, the government provides financial support to Islamic establishments and enforces the Sunni form of Islam. State governments can impose Islamic law on Muslims, and the government will offer grants to private Muslim schools that allow a government-approved curriculum and supervision. The government also indirectly funds non-Islamic communities, although to a much smaller degree. The government generally does not interfere with the religious practices of non-Muslim communities. Public schools offer an Islamic religious instruction course which is compulsory for Muslim students, and non-Muslim students take a morals and ethics course.
The government prohibits any publications that it feels will incite racial or religious disharmony, and has asked that religious matters not be discussed in public due to their sensitivity. It claims nobody has been arrested under the Internal Security Act for religious reasons. The government may demolish unregistered religious places of worship, and nongovernmental organisations have complained about the demolition of unregistered Hindu temples. These were often constructed on privately owned plantations prior to independence in 1957. After independence plantations became government property. In 2006 the state of Negeri Sembilan announced the demolition of a Hindu temple, although the temple sought injunction and took it to court. State governments control mosques, appoint imams, and provide guidance for sermon content. The conflict between the federal and state governments over religious authority led to a slow pace of reform and development of laws relating to Islam. Other religious groups, such as the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST), have supported political rallies.
Political parties are usually closely linked to particular ethnicities, and thus in the case of Malay political parties, to Islam. Views on religion and its role in politics thus affects voting. This is particularly prominent for the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), which seeks an officially Islamic state. In the state of Kelantan, which PAS has governed since 1990, laws based on "hudud" have been enacted. Nonetheless, PAS participates within the democratic system and has moderated at times to win votes, even making political alliances with non-Muslim parties when advantageous.
Both Barisan Nasional (BN) and the opposition PAS party have attempted to deliver political messages using mosques in the states they govern. All civil servants must attend government-approved religion classes. BN has banned opposition-affiliated imams from mosques, enforced restrictions on sermons, replaced opposition sympathetic mosque leaders and governing committees, and closed down unauthorised mosques affiliated with the opposition. The state government of Selangor in August 2005 withheld visas from foreign imams to try to increase the number of local imams. PAS, which controls the state of Kelantan restricts imams affiliated with BN from their mosques. It is thought that support for a moderate Islam led to the 2004 election victory of BN over PAS in the state of Terengganu. Both parties became more Islamic in the 1980s and 1990s to try to obtain more of the Malay vote. Political problems are often portrayed as religious issues.
Secularism debate.
Despite the recognition of Islam as the state religion in the constitution, when created it was explicitly noted that the status was merely a symbolic one. It was not seen as something to be used as a basis of law, except by some Malay nationalists. Currently a dispute exists between those who promote a secular interpretation of the federal constitution and those who believe Shariah courts and Islamic law should have supremacy. The movement towards a more Islamic society, known as "dakwah", is often viewed as an effort to resist western influences. Secular values are often favoured by the Malay elite, who welcome the shared goals of industrial development. It is however opposed by Muslims who see it as an invasion of western culture and worldview. Support for a more Islamic society often comes from the more rural population of Malays.
The practice of secular government, separating religious matters from other aspects of governance, was first put into practice following the Pangkor Treaty of 1874. While this treaty placed most aspects of governance under British control, the Sultan of Perak retained authority over Malay religious and cultural affairs. This system was replicated elsewhere, and reinforced through further reforms. The 1957 Constitution enshrined this secular governance in practice. While the constitution avoids explicitly using the word secular, figures at the time such as Tunku Abdul Rahman noted it would lead to a secular federation. The clause establishing Islam as the official religion was explicitly limited to not affecting the rest of the constitution, which included a provision for religious freedom, albeit with controls on Islamic affairs.
As modernisation has increased, it has brought along with it an increase in secularism. In urban areas, the switch to more western dress such as miniskirts and jeans is of concern to religious authorities. Nightclubs and bars thrive in the cities. However, in the time since independence other areas have become more Islamic. At the time of independence women wore tight-fitting outfits, but now wear headscarves. Muslim prayers are played through the speaker systems of government buildings, and some feel Malaysia is becoming a more Islamic than secular state, with critics complaining that Islam is gaining greater influence in governance. The issue of how the Malay identity should be developed has increasingly come under debate. While the ruling government believes that attaining economic power will empower the Malay population, PAS sees that as an erosion of Islamic values. However, PAS is often seen as to not be able to relate Islamic beliefs to modern society, especially in multicultural Malaysia. The constitutional link between Islam and Malay identity has meant the issues of Malaysian supremacy within the country and the Islamic status of the country have become linked.
Historically, Malaysia was considered secular, with the first prime minister stating "this country is not an Islamic state as it is generally understood." However, political change, especially the desire among UMNO politicians to counter the appeal of PAS, has led to the question of secularity becoming a prominent political issue. Attempts to crack down on what was seen as Islamic extremism led the government to change the penal code to prosecute those who "abuse religious freedom" in the early 1980s. In June 1983, the Mahathir government stated that the administration would be guided by Islamic values, while in August of that year it supported the establishment of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism.
In September 2001 debate was caused by then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's announcement that Malaysia was already an Islamic State. Mahathir sought to convince Islamic voters that UMNO believed in an Islamic state, while also stating non-Muslims could consider Malaysia to be secular. Also in 2001, a high court ruling explicitly contradicted previous rulings, stating that Malaysia was not a strictly secular state and asserting the constitutional status of Islam had broader implications than previously legally understood. In 2007 Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi first called Malaysia an Islamic state. Earlier that month he had made another statement, saying Malaysia was neither a theocratic or secular state. A similar statement was made by Prime Minister on 12 March 2009, where he stated Malaysia was a "negara Islam". The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), a political group representing Malaysian Chinese, expressed reservations over this announcement. The MCA's position is that Malaysia is a fully secular state, and that the law transcends religion. The Prime Minister has asserted the continuing debate about secularism has been caused by opposition parties to advance their own political interests. PAS has sought to reinterpret the constitution to officially define the country as an Islamic state.
Many constitutional changes have favoured ethnic Malays and the official Shafi'i interpretation of Sunni Islam. This reflects a political culture that has shifted towards being more accommodating of Malay supremacy and towards a more Islamic society. Governments have reduced the power of civil courts over time, while the power of Sharia courts has expanded, leading to some judicial conflict. Legal