FENOMENA AGAMA DI PEDALAMAN SABAH

Abstract

Religious phenomena that describe the experiences, behaviors, actions, values ​​and activities that underlie the identity and religious beliefs are social phenomena that are able to shape the harmony of society. Sabah recorded a religious phenomenon formed as a result of the historical experience of mass Islamization involving rural communities in the early 1970s to 1985. This phenomenon is seen as unique and complex when associated with the influence of political parties that gain support through changes in religious identity from groups of individuals who has not professed any religion to the point of confusing the term between "convert to Islam" or "enter USIA". This article discusses the religious phenomenon in the interior of Sabah involving the districts of Keningau, Tenom, Tambunan and Nabawan by focusing on a descriptive discussion on the history of mass Islamization, factors of Islamization through marriage and mystical influences and implications arising from this phenomenon. The qualitative research method was conducted through interviews and face -to -face interviews with key informants in religious departments in the areas involved and the content of text analysis that explains the phenomenon of religion in the interior of Sabah. The findings of the study show that the phenomenon of religion in the interior of Sabah has recorded its own history of religious development which may be quite difficult to find in the history of religious development in other states in Malaysia.

Received: 17 November 2019

Reviewed: 29 November 2019

Accepted: 28 December 2019