Religious Pluralism in Malaysia: the Journey of Three Prime Ministers
The challenges posed by religious pluralism have become central to any understanding of the complex dynamics of ethnically and religiously diverse societies. Malaysia is no exception. This article examines how recent Malaysian governments have handled these challenges. It situates government actions...
| Published in: | Islam and Christian-Muslim relations |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis
[2013]
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| In: |
Islam and Christian-Muslim relations
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| RelBib Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy KBM Asia TK Recent history |
| Further subjects: | B
Abdullahr
B Mahathir B Najib B Religion B Malaysia |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) |
| Summary: | The challenges posed by religious pluralism have become central to any understanding of the complex dynamics of ethnically and religiously diverse societies. Malaysia is no exception. This article examines how recent Malaysian governments have handled these challenges. It situates government actions and pronouncements against the backdrop of Malaysia's colonial and pre-colonial history. The focus is on the declaratory and operational policies of three successive prime ministers (Mahathir, Abdullah and Najib). Careful analysis of this tumultuous period, which has seen the increasing assertiveness of public Muslim discourse, enables us to chart the obstacles to inter-religious harmony that policymakers have had to address. Several questions are at the core of the article: How did each of these leaders handle the emerging crisis of religious pluralism, which is closely entwined with ethnic pluralism? Did their actions match their rhetoric? Taken as a whole, this 15-year period reveals important elements of change and continuity. |
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| ISSN: | 1469-9311 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Islam and Christian-Muslim relations
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/09596410.2013.772327 |