The (Im-)possibilities of Public Atheism in Malaysia

Datos Bibliográficos

ID6415944
AutoresT Duile (0000-0003-0481-0003, University of Bonn, autor de correspondencia), Ahmad Faizuddin Ramli (0000-0003-4387-6160, Sultan Idris Education University), Willie Poh Kaw Lik (0009-0006-3910-014X, Multimedia University), Muhammad Aiman Abdul Fatah (Blogger)
Año2025
Volumen49
Número3
Páginas624-641
Fecha de publicación2025-02-05
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAsian Studies Review (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1035-7823 • E-ISSN: 1467-8403
EditorialRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10357823.2025.2450039
OpenAlexW4407167918
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas27

Religion, especially Islam, plays a crucial role in Malaysia’s post-plural society and ethnic Malay identity. Atheism, as a conviction that challenges religious beliefs, is therefore highly controversial in Malaysia: it not only conflicts with the Rukun Negara (national principles) state ideology, which holds the belief in God as its first principle, but also challenges the notion of ethnic Malay identity, which is framed as Islamic and occupies a special place in Malaysian society. This article explores the potential of atheism to challenge Malaysia’s religious pluralism by analysing cases of public atheism and responses to it. Rather than simply concluding that atheism is not acceptable to Malaysians, the article demonstrates the circumstances under which public atheism is possible. It also argues that atheism, although seldom discussed in public, represents a ‘social symptom’ for Malaysian society: atheists are regarded as ‘malfunctioning’ citizens, but they tell us much about how Malaysia’s post-plural religious society functions as it simultaneously rejects and tolerates atheism. This paradoxical social context, we argue, stabilises and challenges the idea of Malaysia’s religious society as the essence of the Malaysian people

Atheism · Epistemology · Political science · Sociology · Asian Studies and History · Education and Islamic Studies · Philosophy · Religion, Society, and Development