Abstract
In any attempt to analyze the interaction between secular and Islamic political parties in nations with a high proportion of Muslim citizens, it is a good idea to compare their performance in two such countries, Indonesia and Malaysia. These two are the only countries in Southeast Asia that have a Muslim majority, although it is higher in Indonesia than Malaysia. In Indonesia, Muslims constitute between 85 and 90 percent of the population. In Malaysia, their preponderance is less clear-cut. According to the 2000 census, Malays (almost without exception Muslims)1 and other indigenous groups made up 65.1 percent of the total Malaysian population of 23.27 million. Chinese composed 26 percent and Indians 7.7 percent.2 The percentage of Muslims, that is (mostly), Malays and Indians, was 60.4 percent (The Straits Times Interactive, August 11, 2001 ).3
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© 2009 M. A. Mohamed Salih
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van Dijk, K. (2009). Different Settings, Different Definitions, and Different Agendas. In: Salih, M.A.M. (eds) Interpreting Islamic Political Parties. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230100770_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230100770_3
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-38122-7
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-10077-0
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