Religions
Buddhism, Islām, and Christianity are all practiced within Southeast Asia. Buddhism, particularly the more orthodox Theravāda form, dominates the religious pattern of most of the mainland; only in northern Vietnam is the more liberal Mahāyāna Buddhism more common.
Islām is predominant in the southern half of the Malay Peninsula, the Malay Archipelago, and the southern Philippines. As a result of the large Muslim population in Indonesia, Islām is the religion of some two-fifths of Southeast Asians. The diffusion of the religion began in the early 14th century through contact with Muslim traders in northern Sumatra. Perhaps more than any of the other religions, Islām has been a strong force in binding together its adherents. It has profoundly affected cultural, social, political, and economic matters in areas where it is practiced.
The spread of Christianity came with European contact. Roman Catholicism was introduced to insular Southeast Asia by the Spanish and the Portuguese in the 16th century and somewhat later to the Indochinese Peninsula by the French. Catholicism is most important in the Philippines and southern Vietnam. Protestantism also is locally important. The Batak and Minangkabau peoples in Sumatra and a growing number of Chinese in Singapore and elsewhere adhere to various Protestant denominations.
Hinduism, once much more widespread, now is practiced by many people in the region’s Indian communities. In addition, this religion, modified by animism and other influences, is the primary faith on the island of Bali in Indonesia. Various forms of animism also are practiced in the region’s more remote areas, particularly in central Borneo, northern Laos, and northern Myanmar.