Proceedings of the 24th Malaysia-Indonesia International Conference on Economics, Management, and Accounting (The 24th MIICEMA) in conjunction with The 9th Sriwijaya Economics, Accounting, and Business Conference (The 9th SEABC) (MIICEMA-SEABC 2025)

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The Role of Religion in Sustaining Social Well-Being Among the Low-Income Malay Community

Authors
Harliana Halim1, *, Syamimi Waznah Hamdon1, Riki Rahman1
1Department of Social Sciences, Centre for General Studies and Co-curricular, University Tun Hussein Onn, Johor, Malaysia
*Corresponding author. Email: harliana@uthm.edu.my
Corresponding Author
Harliana Halim
Available Online 23 February 2026.
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6463-994-0_33How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Islam; Malay community; social well-being; low-income; religion and identity; qualitative research; resilience; cultural continuity
Abstract

This paper explores the critical role religion, particularly Islam, plays in sustaining social well-being among the Malay community in Malaysia. Religion in this context is more than a spiritual orientation. It is a core pillar of Malay identity, legally enshrined and culturally ingrained. Drawing on Article 160 of the Federal Constitution and qualitative interviews with ten informants of low-income Malays, this study investigates how religious beliefs and practices influence the social well-being of the Malays of low-income. Findings reveal that Islam offers a framework of meaning, moral order, and social support that directly contributes to the social well-being of individuals and the wider community. Any disruption to religious norms or institutions is perceived as a threat not only to faith but to social equilibrium itself. This paper argues that religion functions as a vital mechanism for societal resilience and cultural continuity among Malays of low-income in Malaysia.

Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 24th Malaysia-Indonesia International Conference on Economics, Management, and Accounting (The 24th MIICEMA) in conjunction with The 9th Sriwijaya Economics, Accounting, and Business Conference (The 9th SEABC) (MIICEMA-SEABC 2025)
Series
Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research
Publication Date
23 February 2026
ISBN
978-94-6463-994-0
ISSN
2352-5428
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6463-994-0_33How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Harliana Halim
AU  - Syamimi Waznah Hamdon
AU  - Riki Rahman
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/23
TI  - The Role of Religion in Sustaining Social Well-Being Among the Low-Income Malay Community
BT  - Proceedings of the 24th Malaysia-Indonesia International Conference on Economics, Management, and Accounting (The 24th MIICEMA) in conjunction with The 9th Sriwijaya Economics, Accounting, and Business Conference (The 9th SEABC) (MIICEMA-SEABC 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 481
EP  - 491
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-994-0_33
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-994-0_33
ID  - Halim2026
ER  -