Malaysia

Federation independent from Britain (1957/1963).

☾ The Coming of Islam

Islam carried by the Indian-Ocean trade

Islam spread through the Malay world peacefully along Indian-Ocean trade routes from about the 13th–15th centuries, borne by Arab, Indian and local Muslim merchants; the Malacca (Melaka) Sultanate became a major centre from which Islam radiated across the archipelago.

☾ Religious Composition

A Sunni-Shāfiʿī majority in a multi-religious federation

Islam is the official religion and the faith of the Malay majority, predominantly Sunni of the Shāfiʿī school; sizeable Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and other communities, chiefly among Malaysians of Chinese and Indian descent, make the country religiously plural.

Demographic shares are approximate.

At a glance