Mar 29 2012 Malaysia is often described an Islamic country, but
Muslims make up at most 60% of the population, which leaves a
hefty 40% of people who practise a whole range of other
religions, from animism to Zoroastrianism. The largest minority,
comprising one in five Malaysians, are Buddhists, most of them
ethnic Chinese. Although a majority of Chinese Malaysians
identify themselves as Buddhists, many practise a syncretic
belief system which also includes elements of Taoism and
Confucianism, known as San Chiao. Indeed, many local temples
have shrines to all three faiths, such as the Thean Hou Temple
in Kuala Lumpur (pictured above) and the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple
in Melaka (Malacca). While most Malaysian Buddhists are
descendants of 19th and 20th century immigrants from China and
Sri Lanka, the Buddha’s teachings first came to the Thai-Malay
peninsula some 2,200 years ago. Islam is a comparative newcomer,
only becoming the dominant religion in the 15th century. All
three major schools of Buddhism — Mahayana