Should religious leaders reveal political leanings or join protests? Yes, say most respondents polled in Malaysia, Indonesia

The survey by the American think-tank also touched on a wide range of areas, including how respondents view the importance of religion to national identity, their preference in basing national laws on religious teachings, as well as their views on religious diversity.

For instance, the survey found that 86 per cent of Muslim respondents in Indonesia say it is “very important” to be a Muslim to be truly Indonesian, which is closely followed by 79 per cent of Muslim respondents in Malaysia who also equate the religion to national identity.

One of the lead researchers on the study Jonathan Evans told CNA that several questions in the survey seek to understand how people think religion and politics “should or should not mix”. 

“Since there are so many ways religious leaders could be involved in politics, we decided to ask a few questions to gain a higher degree of nuance than could be achieved by simply asking ‘should religious leaders be involved in politics?’,” said Mr Evans. 

“Overall, Muslims in Indonesia and Malaysia tend to be more likely than other Muslims in the region to say religious leaders should be involved in politics.”

PREFERENCE FOR NATIONAL LAWS TO BE BASED ON RELIGIOUS TEACHINGS

While the survey also includes Sri Lanka, CNA focused on findings from the five Southeast Asian countries that are geographically closer and whose religious dynamics are closely intertwined. 

More than half of respondents across the five countries believe that religious leaders should vote in political elections. 

For instance, 91 per cent of Indonesians, 84 per cent of Malaysians and 81 per cent of Cambodians say religious leaders should cast ballots at the polls. 

However, views are mixed when it comes to the other three political activities – talking publicly about politicians or political parties they support, participating in political protests and becoming politicians themselves. 

Respondents in Indonesia and Malaysia generally are the most supportive of political involvement by religious leaders. 

Around two-thirds of the respondents in Malaysia and 57 per cent of the respondents in Indonesia say their religious leaders should reveal publicly the politicians or political parties they support.