Thursday, May 13, 2010

Religion

Religions are diverse among the ASEAN member countries and not one country is homogenous.



Islam
Islam is the most widely practiced religion among the ASEAN. It is the official religion of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia. So, majorities of Muslims are from these three countries. Indonesia is known to have the largest Muslim population not just among the ASEAN members but the whole world. Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB) is the ideology uphold in Brunei. Eventhough they are non-Muslims in Brunei, it is illegal to spread religions other than Islam in the country. Majority people are Muslims in Brunei. However, in Thailand, the Muslims are the minority population. In the Philippines, most Muslims come from Mindanao and Sulu Islands. There are also some Muslims in Myanmar. Meanwhile in Singapore, the largest minority is the Muslim people.




Christianity
This religion can be found throughout Southeast Asia. Among the ASEAN member countries, Christianity is predominant in the Philippines and this is followed by Vietnam.




Buddhism
Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar are the countries in ASEAN which practiced this religion predominantly. Some Singaporeans and Vietnamese also practise Buddhism. It is the second most practiced religion after Islam in ASEAN.





Hinduism
Hinduism is one of the main religion of Cambodia and Laos. Angkor Wat which is in Cambodia is the largest Hindu temple in the world. In Indonesia, Hinduism is very dominant in Bali. A number of Hindus can also be found in Thailand.

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