RELIGION IN MALAYSIA

Religions of Malaysia based on percentage of the population that practices them

Islam is the state religion. Malays are by definition Muslims and are not allowed to convert. About 63 percent of all Malaysians are Muslims (including 97 percent of all Malays and some Indians of Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani descent). There are also large numbers of Hindus (mostly Indians), Buddhists (mostly Chinese), and followers of Chinese religions such as Taoism (mostly Chinese). Some tribal people practice local animist religions.

Religions: Muslim (official) 63.5 percent, Buddhist 18.7 percent, Christian 9.1 percent, Hindu 6.1 percent, other (Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions) 0.9 percent, none/unspecified 1.8 percent (2020 estimate). According to the 2000 census: Muslim 60.4 percent, Buddhist 19.2 percent, Christian 9.1 percent, Hindu 6.3 percent, Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions 2.6 percent, other or unknown 1.5 percent, none 0.8 percent . [Source: CIA World Factbook]

According to government statistics, in 2000 approximately 60.4 percent of the population was Muslim, and Muslims were the highest percentage in every state except Sarawak, which was 42.6 percent Christian. Buddhism was the second most adhered to faith, claiming 19.2 percent of the population, and Buddhists constituted at least 20 percent of the total population in many states of Peninsular Malaysia. Of the remaining population, 9.1 percent was Christian; 6.3 percent Hindu; 2.6 Confucian, Taoist, and other Chinese faiths; 0.8 percent practitioners of tribal and folk religions; and 0.4 percent adherents of other faiths. Another 0.8 percent professed no faith, and the religious affiliation of 0.4 percent was listed as unknown. Religious issues have been politically divisive, particularly as non-Muslims opposed attempts to institute Islamic law in states such as Terengganu in 2003. [Source: Library of Congress, 2006]

Malaysia is often held up as a model for other Islamic countries because of its economic development, progressive society and generally peaceful coexistence between the Malay majority and the ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities who are mostly Christians, Buddhists and Hindus. While Hinduism and Buddhism historically influenced the region, Islam began to take deep root in the 13th to 15th centuries, becoming the primary religion of the Malay Peninsula by the 17th century. [Source: Ahmad Yousif, Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices, Thomson Gale, 2006]

There are no operational synagogues in Malaysia today. The last functioning one, located on Nagore Road in Penang, closed in 1976 due to the lack of a minyan (a quorum of ten adult Jews). While a small, dwindling Jewish community once existed in Penang, it has effectively ceased to exist, with the remaining community having emigrated or assimilated. The nearest synagogue is located in Singapore.

Freedom of Religion and the Government in Malaysia

Percentage population that are Muslims in Malaysia by district, 2020

Islam is the official religion, but freedom of religion is constitutionally guaranteed. The Federal Constitution of Malaysia states, in article 3(1), that “Islam is the religion of the Federation; but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation.” Freedom of religion is further protected under article 11. [Source: Library of Congress Law Library, Legal Legal Reports, 2014]

The Malaysian Constitution guarantees all citizens the freedom not only to practise their own faith but also to profess and propagate it. However, under a separate article, the constitution grants states — or the federal government in Kuala Lumpur and Labuan — the right to 'control and restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine among persons professing the religion of Islam'. [Source: Ahmad Yousif, Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices, Thomson Gale, 2006]

The constitution also accords every religious group the right to establish and maintain educational institutions for their children, where they can receive religious instruction. Federal law also permits special grants of financial aid for the establishment and maintenance of Muslim institutions, as well as for the instruction of Muslims in their faith. Nevertheless, the government is fairly intolerant of Muslims whom it perceives as a threat to the country's security and unity, as well as of non-Muslims who abuse their religious freedom or violate societal norms.

Tensions between religious communities are low. The government concerns itself primarily with the practices of the Muslim majority. Debates most often form over the government's role in religious life, such as whether the state should further promote Islam and Muslim practices, including limits on gambling and pork production, the availability of alcohol, and the use of state funds for building mosques, or whether greater religious expression for non-Muslims should be allowed. [Source: Thomas Williamson, Countries and Their Cultures, Gale Group Inc., 2001]

The government regulates religious policy for Malaysia's Muslims, while the local mosque organises opportunities for religious instruction and expression. Outside these institutions, Islam plays an important role in electoral politics, with Malay parties promoting their Muslim credentials. Hindu, Christian and Buddhist clergy are often present in Malaysian life through cooperative ventures, and their joint work helps ameliorate their minority status. Religious missionaries are free to proselytise to non-Muslims, but the state strictly forbids evangelists from converting Muslims.

Religion, Ethnicity and Diversity in Malaysia

Malaysia's religious populations tend to have strong ethnic associations. Malays are by definition Muslims. The majority of the ethnic Chinese population identify as Buddhist and recognize and follow to varying degrees traditional Chinese religions such as Taoism and Confucianism. Indians in Malaysia are primarily Hindus, while some orang asli (native people) and indigenous groups in Borneo follow animism, shamanism and other traditional belief systems.

Percentage population that are Hindus in Malaysia by district, 2020

Malays, the overwhelming majority of whom are Muslim, make up about 60 percent of the country's population.There is also a significant number of Malay Christians. Malays also make up a large portion of the populations of mostly-Muslim Indonesia and are related to the people of the largely-Catholic Philippines. Ethnic Chinese form the largest minority population. Many are Buddhists or followers of traditional Chinese religions like Taoism and Confucianism. There is also a significant number of Malaysian Chinese Christians.

Malaysia’s complex ethnographic makeup can be attributed to its geographic situation and its long history as a maritime trading center. There are smaller groups of Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, and indigenous peoples. The Indians tend to be Hindu, and although its numbers are small. Pakistanis are mostly Muslims and Sri Lankans are mostly Buddhists. Christianity was the fastest growing religion in the country but the numbers have leveled off in recent years. The indigenous peoples of Malaysia and Borneo have traditionally been animists and practitioners of their local religions but many are now Christians.

The presence of significant Muslim, Buddhist, Christian and Hindu populations in Malaysia increases to some degree the importance of religious identity, and most Malaysians have a strong sense of how their religious practice differs from that of others. By some reckonings Malaysia has more holidays than any other country in part because it recognizes the holidays of all the major religions that exist in the country. Religious holidays are often celebrated with open houses open to members of all faiths. [Source: Thomas Williamson, Countries and Their Cultures, Gale Group Inc., 2001]

Important non-Muslim holidays include Christmas, Deepavali (the Hindu festival of lights) and Vesak Day, which celebrates the life of Buddha. The Hindu festival Thaipusam is notable for the spectacular rites of penance performed by devotees in front of large crowds, most dramatically at the famous Batu Caves, located in the hills outside Kuala Lumpur. [Source: Thomas Williamson, Countries and Their Cultures, Gale Group Inc., 2001]

Religion of Malaysian Malays

By law, all Malaysian Malays are Muslim, as Article 160 of the Malaysian Constitution defines a Malay as someone who, among other things, professes the religion of Islam. They represent the majority ethnic group practicing Islam in Malaysia, which is the official state religion. Malays cannot legally convert to another religion, though some converts to Islam exist within other ethnic groups. [Source: Wikipedia]

Percentage population that are Buddhists in Malaysia by district, 2020

Since the definition of Malay in the constitution requires them to be Muslim, Islam is an integral part of Malay identity. The vast majority of Malaysian Malays follow Sunni Islam of the Shafi'i school, which heavily influences their food, clothing, festivals, and daily life. While Hinduism and Buddhism historically influenced the region, Islam began to take deep root in the 13th to 15th centuries, becoming the primary religion of the Malay Peninsula by the 17th century.

Because the Malaysian Constitution says that all ethnic Malays are legally defined as Muslims from birth, the result is that nearly 100 percent of Malays are listed as Muslims on official censuses. While evangelical, small-scale conversions exist, identifying as a Christian Malay is rare and often unregistered due to legal constraints on leaving Islam. Malays who identify as Christian are often part of small, hidden communities or live outside Malaysia, as converting out of Islam is considered legally and socially impossible. [Source: radical.net]

Chinese and Chinese Religions in Malaysia

The majority of ethnic Chinese in Malaysia practice a blend of Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism, and Chinese folk religion, with roughly 75 to 83 percent identifying as Buddhist. Christianity is the second-largest faith within the community (approximately 9 to 11 percent, while smaller percentages follow Confucianism, Islam, or are non-religious. Chinese Christians are both Catholic and Protestant.

Many Chinese festivals tend to be localised events, often held in conjunction with the birthdays of different temple deities. Festivities often start one to two weeks before the anniversary date and may include processions, Chinese opera performances, vegetarian food preparation, and people walking barefoot on hot coals. [Source: Ahmad Yousif, Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices, Thomson Gale, 2006]

In many Chinese Malaysian homes, the family altar is the most important part of the house. These often contain a bronze urn for joss sticks, two tall candlesticks and a small frame listing the date of death of each male ancestor. Family members visit the altar on festival and anniversary days to honour their deceased ancestors.

Buddhists in Malaysia

Buddhists make up the second-largest religious group in Malaysia. While the majority of Chinese-educated Buddhists in Malaysia follow the Mahayana tradition, many do not distinguish between Buddhist and Chinese folk religious practices, instead engaging in a combination of the two. Consequently, a Malaysian Buddhist may follow the teachings of Confucius and Laozi, participate in ancestor worship, burn paper offerings, and offer food and flowers to spirits — all of which are not connected to Buddhism in its original form. [Source: Ahmad Yousif, Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices, Thomson Gale, 2006]

There are more than 3,500 Buddhist temples and organisations in Malaysia. These temples are generally open daily for devotees to pay homage to images of Buddha. Attendance is especially high on occasions such as the new and full moons. Temples are also the primary venue for Vesak (Buddha's birthday) and other Buddhist ceremonies, such as those marking the traditional Sinhalese New Year. Many temples hold weekly programmes, including Dharma talks (on good conduct or moral instruction), meditation sessions, language classes, public speaking classes, and religious seminars and talks. The main organisation responsible for the welfare of Chinese Buddhists in Malaysia is the Malaysia Buddhist Association.

Percentage population that are Christians in Malaysia by district, 2020

The most important Buddhist festival is Vesak, which has been a public holiday in Malaysia since 1962. The festival's climax is Wesak Day itself, when gatherings are held at Buddhist temples throughout the country. Contributions to schools, hospitals and organisations for the blind and deaf are traditionally made at this time. Another feature of Vesak is a six-mile candlelit procession around Kuala Lumpur. This is attended by a group of monks and nuns, with Buddhist organisations from across the region contributing floats to the parade.

Christianity in Malaysia

Christians — including about 800,000 Catholics — make up about 9.1 percent of Malaysia's population. Most are Chinese or belong to indigenous groups in Borneo. Malays are by definition Muslims and are not allowed to convert. There are a few Christian Malays who are either very discreet or practice their religion in secret.

The Christian community was the fastest growing religious minority in Malaysia but has leveled off in recent years. In 1921, Christians accounted for just 1.7 per cent of the country's population, but by 2000 this figure had risen to 9.1 per cent. While they still form a small minority in most states, Christians make up 27 and 37 per cent of the population in Sabah and Sarawak, respectively. Around 8 per cent of Malaysia's Chinese population is Christian, while a similar proportion of Indians in the country identify as Christian. The primary religious organisation representing the Christian community in Malaysia is the Council of Churches of Malaysia.

Domestic Christian rituals can be divided into three categories: individual prayer, family prayer and house fellowship. In the former, an individual may read the Bible alone and then close the session with a prayer. Family prayer sessions are usually held in the mornings or evenings and typically involve one family member reading from the Bible, followed by a few devotional songs and a prayer. Families may also open their homes for weekly worship. Malaysian Christians celebrate Christmas, New Year's Day, Good Friday and Easter. Christmas is a national public holiday, while Good Friday is a public holiday in Sabah and Sarawak. [Source: Ahmad Yousif, Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices, Thomson Gale, 2006]

There are Anglican, Lutheran, Mormon, Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, and Roman Catholic churches in Malaysia that hold English-language services. The Presbyterian congregation serves as the principal expatriate international Protestant church, welcoming attendance by all worshippers without regard to previous affiliation. [Source: Cities of the World, Gale Group Inc., 2002, adapted from a October 1994 U.S. State Department report]

A court ruling in December 2009, that Christians could use the word Allah to refer to God (a usage that is not unusual in other Muslim countries) sparked an outbreak of anti-Christian violence and resulted in increased religious tensions; an appeals court overturned that decision in 2013 and was upheld by the supreme court in 2014. [Source: Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed., Columbia University Press]

Malaysian Churches Becoming More Involved in Politics

In the late 2000s, churches in Malaysia began cautiously engaging with electoral politics by encouraging Christians to consider issues of religious freedom when voting in the March 2008 general elections. The initiative reflected concern among religious minorities who believed their rights were being eroded amid what they saw as a rise in Islamic influence, which some attributed to assertive policies by Muslim officials in the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. [Source: Sean Yoong, AP, February 23, 2008 ^^]

Churches distributed brochures urging voters to evaluate political parties based on their positions on “freedom of religion, conscience and speech.” Hermen Shastri, executive secretary of the Christian Federation of Malaysia, said the aim was to promote accountability among politicians. “We want to hold every politician accountable,” he said, adding that “many people may not vote for representatives who won’t speak up” for religious rights. The federation includes the Protestant Christian Council of Malaysia, the Roman Catholic Church, and the National Evangelical Fellowship.

Shastri noted that while churches had made similar appeals in the past, concern was heightened ahead of the 2008 elections due to what he described as “the trend of Islamization and how that is affecting other religious communities.” He emphasized that churches remained nonpartisan and that the campaign did not endorse opposition parties, which had accused the government of permitting religious discrimination that could undermine Malaysia’s multiethnic harmony. The Christian Federation also coordinated with Buddhist and Hindu groups, which were considering distributing similar materials at temples.

Several incidents highlighted rising religious tensions. With support from Muslim politicians, Sharia courts became involved in a number of high-profile cases concerning conversion, marriage, divorce, and child custody that affected non-Muslims. In January 2008, customs officials seized 32 Bibles from a Christian traveler to determine whether they had been imported for commercial purposes; a government official later said the action was a mistake.

Prime Minister Abdullah responded by assuring minority communities that his government treated all religions fairly. “Of course, there are minor misunderstandings,” he said in a speech to Chinese voters. “What is important is that we are willing to talk and solve our problems together.” Teresa Kok, a lawmaker from the opposition Democratic Action Party, said the churches’ actions would likely increase political awareness but might not significantly shift voter support. She noted that many Christians, particularly among the urban middle class, traditionally backed the ruling National Front coalition because they “don’t want to rock the boat.”

Malaysia Establishes Diplomatic Relations with Vatican

In July 2011, Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak met with Pope Benedict XVI. Afterwards it was announced that the Vatican and Malaysia agreed to establish diplomatic relations. News reports of the meeting emphasized the importance of the visit in terms of domestic Malaysian politics. The New York Times noted that analysts say the visit “is intended to signal a wish to mend ties with the country’s Christians” and BBC reported that it is “intended to reassure Christians in his country, who have long complained of discrimination.” Most reports also note some of the current tensions, giving as an example the attempt to prohibit Christians from using the word “Allah” when referring to God in the Malay language. [Source: John L. Esposito and John O. Voll, Washington Post, July 20, 2011]

The John L. Esposito and John O. Voll wrote in the Washington Post that there are ironies in “Najib’s meeting with the pope, because the ban on the use of the word “Allah” by Malaysian Christians is in fact an action initiated by the Najib government. When the Kuala Lumpur High Court overturned the government ban, the Najib government appealed the decision. Currently the government is involved in a case dealing with the Home Ministry’s confiscation of Christian CDs using the word “Allah.” This government policy has been opposed by major opposition leaders including those leading Muslim organizations who are viewed as more explicitly Islamic in their policy orientation. Anwar Ibrahim, former Deputy Prime Minister and a leader of the Malaysian opposition, for example, put it simply: “Muslims have no monopoly over ‘Allah’.”

Hindus in Malaysia

Hindus make up Malaysia's third largest religious community. Brahmanic Hinduism preceded Islam in Malaysia and was first spread among the region's elite and ruling classes. Hindu influences permeate Malay culture. Traditional Malaysian shadow puppetry features Hindu myths. In the Malay creation myth man battled the Hindu Monkey General Hanuman for dominance over the earth. In contemporary Malaysia most Indians are descendants of contract laborers who immigrated during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. They practice Tamil Nadu and Shaivite forms of Hinduism.

Malaysian Hindus celebrate three major festivals: Diwali, Thaipusam and Thai Pongal. Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, honours Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. It is a national holiday and a day of new clothes, food and fun for Malaysian Hindu children. Thaipusam originated in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and is now a public holiday in five states. The Thaipusam festival organised by the Maha Mariamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur has become an enormous event, attracting hundreds of thousands of devotees and visitors who gather to witness the procession of the statue and chariot of Lord Murugan, the chief deity of the ancient Tamils, through the city streets to the Batu Caves, eight miles away.

Some devotees carry kavadis on their shoulders; these are decorated frames hung with bells and baskets containing offerings to the deity. During the festival, some kavadi bearers do penance by piercing their cheeks and tongues with skewers and small spears, and their bodies with hooks. Other devotees bathe in a nearby stream or break coconuts to fulfil vows or offer thanks to Lord Murugan. Upon reaching the Batu Caves, the kavadi bearers complete their pilgrimage by climbing the 272 steps that lead to the temple. [Source: Ahmad Yousif, Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices, Thomson Gale, 2006]

The Hindu community celebrates Thai Pongal, an annual harvest festival honouring the sun god, for four days in mid-January. Hindu families reunite to share their joy and harvests by preparing a pongal, a dish made with rice and milk. New clothes are prepared, and homes are cleaned, painted and decorated in preparation for the festival. On the day of Pongal, family members draw decorations called kolams on the floor with rice flour.

Hindus say it is almost impossible to get permission to build new temples. Some Hindu temples have been demolished in the past. In December 2007, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom condemned Malaysian government actions against the country’s ethnic Indian Hindus, including the use of tear gas and water cannons against peaceful demonstrators, beatings of protesters who sought refuge in a temple and the demolition of Hindu temples and shrines. The commission said the expanding reach of Sharia, or Islamic, courts is “threatening secular Malaysia’s civil courts and the country’s commitment to religious pluralism.”

Animism in Malaysia

Underlying Islamic beliefs and practices are earlier beliefs and practices originating from Hinduism and animism. These spirits, goblins and ghosts of pre- or non-Islamic origin are known as 'hantu-hantu' and are mainly to be avoided, overcome or appeased. They are not much different from similar powers in other Southeast Asian cultures. [Source: Manning Nash, “Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 5: East / Southeast Asia:” edited by Paul Hockings, 1993 |~|]

These spirits and forces play a major role in curing ceremonies, where a bomoh or dukun cures a patient through an elaborate trance and body-smoking ritual. The bomoh calls on his familiar spirit from the spirit world to remove the source of the patient's illness. There is also a long list of Malay poisons and herbal medicines used by bomohs in treatment. Another common form of local medical practice is bone-setting, and midwives still assist in the majority of deliveries. ~

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: “Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 5: East/Southeast Asia:” edited by Paul Hockings; 1993; New York Times; Washington Post; Los Angeles Times; Smithsonian magazine; Encyclopedia.com; National Geographic; Live Science; Malaysia Tourism websites; Malaysia government websites; UNESCO; Metropolitan Museum of Art; Natural History magazine; Times of London; Library of Congress; The Conversation; The New Yorker; Time; BBC; CNN; Reuters; Associated Press; AFP; Lonely Planet Guides; Google AI; Wikipedia; The Guardian and various websites; books and other publications.

Last updated May 2026