Religion and Politics

As in other predominantly Muslim countries, religion played an important political role in Malaysia at the turn of the twenty-first century. Some Malays wanted the country to adopt Shar'iah,

This large Buddhist temple in Kuala Lumpur reflects the fact that although Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country it has large minority populations of Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and adherents of other religions. (PhotoDisc)

Or Islamic law. The most influential of the Islamic parties was the Islamic Party of Malaysia. By 2000, this party had joined together with other parties opposing Mahathir's government to form the Alternative Coalition. The most influential partner of the Islamic Party in this coalition was the secular Democratic Action Party.

The Alternative Coalition was held together only by opposition to Mahathir. In religious matters, the two main opposition parties were also opposed to each other. Mahathir skillfully managed to use religious differences to split the principal partners of the Alternative Coalition. Then, in 2001, he began to arrest Islamic militants on charges of plotting with international Muslim groups. The country's religious diversity, like its ethnic diversity, appeared to make it vulnerable to deft political manipulation as well as to continuing domestic conflict.