Although there are countries that practise religious intolerance overtly, it seems like countries that appear to maintain religious harmony may not be so religiously tolerant after all. Hence, I argue that religious tolerance in ASEAN is more fiction than fact. Religious intolerance is most apparent in countries where the government outrightly discriminates against religious minorities through the passing of state laws. Even though there may be an understanding that multiple faiths exist in the country, religious minorities may still be marginalised and disregarded. On May 2014, Brunei became the first country in Southeast Asia to impose the Islamic sharia law on a national level. This decision was regarded by many as “a huge step backwards for human rights in the country” as it legalised the implementation of brutal medieval punishments for crimes
Although there are countries that practise religious intolerance overtly, it seems like countries that appear to maintain religious harmony may not be so religiously tolerant after all. Hence, I argue that religious tolerance in ASEAN is more fiction than fact. Religious intolerance is most apparent in countries where the government outrightly discriminates against religious minorities through the passing of state laws. Even though there may be an understanding that multiple faiths exist in the country, religious minorities may still be marginalised and disregarded. On May 2014, Brunei became the first country in Southeast Asia to impose the Islamic sharia law on a national level. This decision was regarded by many as “a huge step backwards for human rights in the country” as it legalised the implementation of brutal medieval punishments for crimes