Religion and identity construction: Unity in diversity

Abstract

The role of religion in constructing an identity based on Malay Bumiputera (son of the soil) Muslims, as the majority group of the population, is a debatable discussion among Malaysians. Since its 1957 independence, the supreme law of Malaysia, the Federal Constitution, has pronounced Islam as the official religion in the country and the Yang Dipertuan Agong, King of Malaysia, as the Head of Islam. This provision also allows other religious ideologies to be practiced. Apart from the 1969 tragedy, Malaysian people happily live in harmonious and peaceful multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious societies while each ethnicity promotes its own culture, respects other diversities and cherishes differences to promote unity and avoid disunity. This article aims to examine the identity construction built up by the Malay Bumiputera Muslims and analyze people’s responses to related government policies. Governmental attempts have been taken to promote stability and racial harmony. Still, there are hurdles faced by the Malaysians, such as economic disparities among ethnicities, education based on vernacular circles, and others. On top of that, there are vast differences in community identity construction between the Malay Peninsula and the Borneo states, Sabah and Sarawak. The former was directly politically colonized by the British, but the latter, especially Sabah, had no experience of ‘divide and rule’ along racial lines as the British presented in the Malay Peninsula because Sabah was initially ruled for business purposes by the North British Borneo Company but later incorporated as British colonies after 1946 and continued until 1963. To some extent, however, this historical setting has shaped Malaysian politics to be primarily centered upon the Malay and Bumiputera racial-hegemony context. This political setting cannot be avoided, for the Malay and Bumiputera Muslims need politics to safeguard their rights, but other ethnics are also permitted to form their parties to represent their communities. To conclude, this division has been made to provide unity in diversity in the multi-racial society, which is politically and socioeconomically constructed.