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In Thailand, Cambodia and Sri Lanka, Buddhists see strong links between their religion and country, as do Muslims in Malaysia and Indonesia
WASHINGTON, D.C.– In Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Thailand – countries where at least 70% of adults are Buddhist – upward of nine-in-ten Buddhists say being Buddhist is important to be truly part of their nation, according to a new Pew Research Center survey of six countries in South and Southeast Asia.
For instance, 95% of Sri Lankan Buddhists say being Buddhist is important to be truly Sri Lankan – including 87% who say Buddhism is very important to being a true Sri Lankan. Although most people in these countries identify as Buddhist religiously, there is widespread agreement that Buddhism is more than a religion.
“For most people in the South and Southeast Asian countries, we surveyed, religious identity is about more than beliefs and practices – it’s also about culture, family tradition and ethnicity,” said Senior Researcher Jonathan Evans. “We also found that many people strongly tie a particular religion to national identity. But even with this, people express a general sense of religious tolerance.”
Buddhism in Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Thailand
The importance of Buddhism in national identity is reflected in the prominence that all three countries’ laws give to Buddhism. According to the survey, most Buddhists in all three countries favour basing their national laws on Buddhist dharma – a wide-ranging concept that includes the knowledge, doctrines and practices stemming from Buddha’s teachings. This perspective is nearly unanimous among Cambodian Buddhists (96%), while smaller majorities of Buddhists in Sri Lanka (80%) and Thailand (56%) support basing national laws on Buddhist teachings and practices.
When asked about the role of religious leaders in public life, Cambodian Buddhists again stand out as the most likely to favour an intersection between religion and government. For instance, 81% of Cambodian Buddhists say religious leaders should vote in political elections, a position taken by smaller proportions of Buddhists in Sri Lanka (66%) and Thailand (54%). But even in Cambodia, no more than half of Buddhists say religious leaders should participate in political protests (50%), talk publicly about the politicians they support (47%) or be politicians themselves (45%).
Islam in Malaysia and Indonesia
In some ways, Buddhism’s links to national identity in these countries parallel the role of Islam in the neighbouring Muslim-majority countries of Indonesia and Malaysia. Nearly all Muslims in both countries say being Muslim is important to be truly Indonesian or Malaysian. Muslims in both countries commonly describe Islam as a culture, family tradition or ethnicity – not just “a religion one chooses to follow.” For instance, three-quarters of Malaysian Muslims say Islam is “an ethnicity one is born into.”
Most Muslims in both nations favour making sharia the official law of the land. Muslims in Malaysia, where Islam is the official religion, overwhelmingly support using sharia as the national law (86%). Support for sharia is somewhat lower among Muslims in Indonesia, where 64% of Indonesian Muslims nevertheless say sharia should be used as the law of the land.
Muslims in both Indonesia and Malaysia are more likely than Buddhists surveyed in neighboring countries to favour high-profile roles for religious leaders in politics. For example, most Muslims in Indonesia (58%) and Malaysia (69%) say religious leaders should talk publicly about the politicians and political parties they support.
Additional findings:
Religious tolerance:
In general, tolerance of other religions is widely espoused in all six countries.Adults in Malaysia and Sri Lanka (62% each) are even more likely than those in Singapore (56%) to say that religious, ethnic and cultural diversity benefits their country.
Across all major religious groups, most people say they would be willing to accept members of different religious communities as neighbours. For instance, 81% of Sri Lankan Buddhists say they would be willing to have Hindu neighbours; a similar share of Sri Lankan Hindus (85%) say the same about Buddhists.
Shared beliefs and practices:
There also are signs of shared religious beliefs and practices across religious lines.Sizable majorities in nearly every large religious community, in all six countries, say that karma exists, even though belief in karma is not traditionally associated with all the religious groups surveyed.
Many people pray or offer their respects to deities or founder figures that are not traditionally considered part of their religion’s pantheon. For example, 66% of Singaporean Hindus say they pray or offer respects to Jesus Christ and 62% of Sri Lankan Muslims do the same to the Hindu deity Ganesh.
Religious switching:
Despite expressions of tolerance and religious mixing, religious identity also can be a firm line between groups. Many people across the countries surveyed say it is unacceptable for people to give up their religion or convert to another faith.
In Indonesia, 92% of Muslims say it is unacceptable for a person to leave Islam, and 83% of Christians say it is unacceptable to leave Christianity for another religion. Overall, Muslims are more likely than other religious communities to say conversion away from their faith is unacceptable. But this is also the position taken by two-thirds or more of Buddhists in Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Thailand – the study’s three Buddhist-majority nations.
In five of the six countries surveyed, nearly all adults still identify with the religion in which they were raised. Only in Singapore do a sizable share of adults (35%) indicate their religion has changed during their lifetime.
These are among the key findings of a Pew Research Center survey conducted among 13,122 adults in six countries in Southeast and South Asia.Interviews were conducted face-to-face in Cambodia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand and on mobile phones in Malaysia and Singapore. Local interviewers administered the survey from June to September 2022, in eight languages. The country-level margins of sampling error range from 2.44 to 3.19 percentage points.
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Action beyond dialogue is essential in addressing Green Financing and climate change. – Prime Minister
There have been numerous discussions and dialogues successfully conducted across various sectors, but it is now crucial to move beyond conversation and focus on strengthening the implementation. Such collaborative effort like GGGI initiates in leading Sri Lanka towards a resilient and sustainable finance.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while attending the Sri Lanka climate finance awareness session on advancing sustainable finance and carbon markets for climate action held today (30) at hotel Marriott Bonvoy in Colombo City Center.
The awareness session was organized by the Prime Minister’s Office with the collaboration of the ministry of Environment and Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) to create awareness of Green finance strategies leading to new initiatives for sustainable Sri Lanka.
Delivering the keynote address, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that this session is intended to support the line ministries in better understanding how these financing mechanisms work and how they could be leveraged to implement the sustainable development priorities.
Addressing the event, the Prime Minister further stated:
“Sri Lanka has developed and updated numerous environmental frameworks to address the growing challenge of climate change, that has become the current development challenge that continues to affect lives, livelihoods, and our overall trajectory as a nation.
In Sri Lanka, key sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, energy, tourism, and water are increasingly exposed to climate-related disruptions, threatening both livelihoods and macroeconomic stability. To prevent this trajectory, we must leverage a full spectrum of international climate finance instruments.
Sri Lanka has a solid policy foundation, political will, and the institutional capacity to lead on climate action. What we now need is the financial architecture to match this ambition. Hence, today’s session represents a step toward building shared awareness and technical capacity across the public sector”.
The Prime Minister emphasized that while numerous discussions and dialogues have been successfully conducted across various sectors, it is now crucial to move beyond conversation and focus on concrete implementation highlighting that meaningful results can only be achieved when ideas and plans are translated into action, and urged all stakeholders and officers to prioritize execution to bring about the positive changes the country needs.
The event was attended by secretary to the Prime Minister, G. P. Saputhanthri, representatives from the central bank, representatives of Ministries and GGGI institute.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that there is a contemporary need to develop the Pirivena and Bhikkhu education and that the government is seeking the revered guidance of Maha Sangha in that cause.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while addressing the 125th anniversary celebrations of the Amarapura Ariyavansa Saddhamma Yukthika Nikaya on Tuesday (29) at the Sri Subodhi Rajarama Mulasthana Maha Vihara in Bombuwala, Kalutara.
During the event, the Prime Minister honored sixty-three venerable members of the Maha Sangha who had rendered their noble service to the Sasana and also conferred awards upon several distinguished lay benefactors in recognition of their contributions.
Delivering the keynote speech, the Prime Minister stated:
“There has always been a strong bond between Buddhism and society throughout history. Culture and social relations have been built alongside the Buddhist philosophy. The society we seek to establish as a nation must embody the Buddhist values of fairness, equality, and compassion. These virtues, as taught in the Buddhist philosophy, are ever relevant and alive.
Piriven and Bhikkhu education are currently facing numerous challenges, and considerable efforts are needed to address them. Thereby a substantial and concerted intervention is required.
A pertinent question arises as whether our Pirivena institutions are adequately preparing for the evolving needs of the world? There was once a belief in Europe that, with scientific advancement, religion would become redundant. Today, this view has been discredited. Along with material progress, spiritual development remains indispensable.
The knowledge, attitudes, and skills of our Bhikkhus must be enhanced to meet the emerging global challenges. A profound discussion on necessary reforms in Piriven and Bhikkhu education is therefore imperative.
Opportunities for Bhikkhus to study subjects such as mathematics, science, and modern languages are currently limited. Without exposure to contemporary disciplines, it is questionable whether one can successfully confront present-day challenges”.
The event, held under the patronage of the Venerable Egodamulle Amaramoli Mahanayake Thera, the Chief incumbent of the Amarapura Ariyavansa Saddhamma Yukthika Nikaya, was attended by members of the Maha Sangha, Minister of Mass Media and Health Mr. Nalinda Jayatissa, several Members of Parliament, and numerous lay devotees.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
Under the “Clean Sri Lanka” programme, plans are underway to launch a 1,000-acre forest plantation project in collaboration with the private sector. This large-scale initiative is designed to operate under the Public-Private-People Partnership (4P) concept and a preliminary discussion on the project was held today (30) at the Presidential Secretariat.
The discussion focused on resolving technical aspects associated with the project and addressing the fundamental issues necessary for the land release.
The programme aims to implement several effective environmental projects in the coming year with the active participation of the private sector. These efforts are intended to safeguard the country’s biodiversity, forest cover and natural ecosystems, while also reinforcing the shared responsibility of the public, government and private sector in environmental conservation.
The discussion was chaired by Senior Additional Secretary to the President Russell Aponsu and Additional Secretary of the Clean Sri Lanka Programme S.P.C. Sugeeshwara, with the participation of senior officials from the Ministries of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation and Environment
Action beyond dialogue is essential in addressing Green Financing and climate change. – Prime Minister
Pirivena and Bhikkhu education must be developed – PM
1,000-acre forest plantation project to be launched under “Clean Sri Lanka” programme
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