Praying together, staying together : religion and interethnic marriages in Sarawak, Malaysia

Abstract

This paper looks at the impact of state sponsored lslamisation and identity politics in multiethnic Malaysia. It begins with a historical take on the entry of the world religions into Malaysia, followed by a discussion of recent trends in lslamisation and its divisive nature. Narratives on inter-ethnic marriage drawn from participants in a larger study on marriage and the family in Sarawak are used to support the argument that religion more than ethnicity is an obstacle to ethnic integration through marriage in the context of Sarawak .