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 Indigenous religions, 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 of being ostracised or prosecuted. 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.Wu & Hickling, p. 35. The constitution guarantees freedom of religion while establishing Islam as the "religion of the Federation" to symbolise its importance to Malaysian society.Wu & Hickling, p. 35. Malaysian Chinese practice various faiths: Mahayana Buddhism, Chinese traditional religions (including Taoism), and Theravada Buddhism (along with Siamese, Burmese, Sinhalese and Indians). 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:
Year Islam Buddhism Christianity Hinduism Confucianism, Taoism and other traditional Chinese folk religion Other religions No religion or no information 2000 60.4% 19.2% 9.1% 6.3% 2.6% 2.4% 2010 61.3% 19.8% 9.2% 6.3% 1.7% 1.7% 2020 63.5% 18.7% 9.1% 6.1% 0.9% 1.8%
All the Malaysian Malay people are Muslim by law. Most Malaysian Chinese follow Mahayana Buddhism, Chinese traditional religion (including Taoism, Confucianism, and ancestor worship), or Theravada Buddhism. 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
States States Islam Buddhism Christianity Hinduism Confucianism, Taoism and other traditional Chinese folk religion Other religions No religion or No informationJohor -Kedah -Kelantan -Malacca -Negeri Sembilan -Pahang -Penang -Perak -Perlis -Sabah -Sarawak -Selangor -Terengganu -
Federal territories States Islam Buddhism Christianity Hinduism Confucianism, Taoism and other traditional Chinese folk religion No religion Other religions or No informationKuala Lumpur -Labuan -Putrajaya -
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. Government-controlled bodies exerted pressure upon non-Muslim women to wear headscarves. In November 2005 the minister of higher education stated that non-Muslim women students at the International Islamic University of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur must wear headscarves when attending lectures and during graduation ceremonies. In March 2006 the leader of the Royal Malaysian Police stated that all female police officers, including non-Muslims, should wear headscarves during public ceremonies. The MyKad identity card states whether the holder is a Muslim or not.US State Dept 2022 report
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
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.