Editing Sabah (section)

=== Religion ===
{{bar box
|width=250px
|barwidth=100px
|title=Religion in Sabah (2020)<ref name="Census 2020">{{cite web |url=https://tableau.dosm.gov.my/t/mbls/views/1202/Negeri6?%3Adisplay_count=n&%3Aembed=y&%3AisGuestRedirectFromVizportal=y&%3Aorigin=viz_share_link&%3AshowAppBanner=false&%3AshowVizHome=n |title=Taburan Penduduk dan Ciri-ciri Asas Demografi |publisher=Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia |access-date=25 April 2020  }}</ref>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Religion
|right1=Percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Islam]]|Green|69.6}}
{{bar percent|[[Christianity]]|Blue|24.7}}
{{bar percent|[[Buddhism]]|Yellow|5.1}}
{{bar percent|[[Irreligion|No religion]]|Black|0.4}}
{{bar percent|Others|Gray|0.1}}
{{bar percent|[[Hinduism]]|Orange|0.1}}
}}

[[Islam]] is the predominant religion in Sabah, although its society remained [[secularism|secular]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Yew-Foong Hui|title=Encountering Islam: The Politics of Religious Identities in Southeast Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3PDwQB4tBG8C&pg=PA158|year=2013|publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies|isbn=978-981-4379-92-2|page=158}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/sabah-sarawak-leaders-urge-malaysians-to-reject-pass-syariah-law-bill|title=Sabah, Sarawak leaders urge Malaysians to reject PAS's Syariah law Bill|newspaper=The Straits Times|date=7 May 2017|access-date=19 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219063542/http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/sabah-sarawak-leaders-urge-malaysians-to-reject-pass-syariah-law-bill|archive-date=19 February 2018}}</ref> In the 2020 census, the percentage of Muslims was around 69.6%, while that of [[Christianity|Christians]] was 24.7% and that of [[Buddhism]] 5.1%.<ref name="Census 2020"/> In 1960, the population percentage of Muslims was only 37.9%, while the percentage of Christians was 16.6% and almost half of the population professed other religions, that is at 45.5%.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MuEgAQAAMAAJ&q=Report+on+the+Census+of+Population+Taken+on+10th+August,+1960+%221960+Christian%22 | title=Report on the Census of Population Taken on 10th August, 1960 | date=1962 | publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MuEgAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Number+Percentage+of+Total+Population+Religion+1921+*+1931+*+1951+1960+1921+*+1931+*+1951+1960+Christian+Muslim+Other+Religion+6,980+10,454+29,092+75,247+81,886+86,713+115,126+172,324+168,938+173,056+189,923+206,850+2.7+3.9+8.7+16.6%22 | title=Report on the Census of Population Taken on 10th August, 1960 | date=1962 | publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Carlo Caldarola|title=Religion and Societies: Asia and the Middle East|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dnPu49bHNUkC|date=1982|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=978-3-11-082353-0}}</ref> The increase was mainly contributed through the uncontrolled high immigration rate and controversial mass conversions in recent decades.<ref name="controversial">{{cite web|url=http://web.usm.my/km/33(2)2015/km33022015_01.pdf|title=Patronage, Power and Prowess: Barisan Nasional's Equilibrium Dominance in East Malaysia|author=Faisal H. Hazis|work=Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia|publisher=Universiti Sains Malaysia|year=2015|access-date=19 June 2016|pages=15/24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160619080534/http://web.usm.my/km/33(2)2015/km33022015_01.pdf |archive-date=19 June 2016}}</ref><ref name="Hui2013">{{cite book|author=Yew-Foong Hui|title=Encountering Islam: The Politics of Religious Identities in Southeast Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3PDwQB4tBG8C&pg=PA170|year=2013|publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies|isbn=978-981-4379-92-2|pages=169–170}}</ref>

The ''Colony of North Borneo Annual Report, 1960'', notes that major indigenous groups maintained pagan beliefs, while coastal areas were majority Muslim. Other religions mentioned were traditional Chinese beliefs and various Christian denominations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://seadelt.net/Asset/Source/Document_ID-417_No-01.pdf|title=Colony of North Borneo, Annual Report 1960|website=Seadelt.net|access-date=8 January 2022}}</ref> Many indigenous groups saw conversions to Christianity,<ref>{{cite journal | author=Suraya Sintang| pages=59, 65 |url=https://ejournal.um.edu.my/index.php/JUD/article/view/4088/1956|title =PENGANUTAN AGAMA ISLAM DAN KRISTIAN DI KALANGAN MASYARAKAT KADAZANDUSUN DI SABAH|publisher=Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya| year=2003|volume=18|issn=1394-3723|journal=Journal of Usuluddin}}</ref> in part due to cultural compatibility such as having no ban on pork.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/05/world/kota-kinabalu-journal-moslem-cause-celebre-a-good-christian-burial.html|title=Kota Kinabalu Journal; Moslem Cause Celebre: A Good Christian Burial|first=Barbara|last=Crossette|date=5 October 1987|website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

Several other religions, such as [[Chinese folk religion]] as well as the Indian religions of [[Hinduism]] and [[Sikhism]], are also practised in the state.<ref>{{cite book|author=Yong Leng Lee|title=North Borneo (Sabah): A Study in Settlement Geography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fJceAAAAMAAJ|year=1965|publisher=Eastern Universities Press}}</ref>