Islam, state and society in Singapore

Suzaina KADIR

Abstract Muslims are a politically significant religious minority in Singapore. This is compounded by the fact that an overwhelming number of Malays are also Muslims. This conflation of Malay ethnicity and religious identity has led to assumptions of homogeneity when addressing Islam in Singapore. This paper argues for greater care in understanding Muslims in Singapore. It tries to show how the conflation of ethnic and religious identities is a product of historical and political factors. It explores the growing pluralism within Islam as Singaporean Muslims are exposed to processes of modernization, globalization and Islamization. Ultimately, the paper argues that growing heterogeneity is leading to new tensions in the vertical linkages between Islam and the State in Singapore. New contestations for religious authority are producing pressures to de-link ethnic and religious identity in political representation.

Author’s biography

Suzaina Kadir is assistant professor in the department of political science at the National University of Singapore. Her current research involves a project on "Challenges to Democratic Governance in the Asia-Pacific," and the article, "Civil Society in Singapore," for the University of Hawaii East-West Center.

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