Is there a civil religion in deeply divided Malaysia? This paper examines several institutions and one strategic group (the intellectual elite) as potential “carriers ” of civil religion. Evidence reveals, however, that civil religious symbols, although they exist, appear on the margins of key institutions. Nor do Malay-Muslim intellectuals reformulate religion in terms of a civic creed. Only when events, such as serious communal violence in May, 1969, threaten political stability does the development of civil religion become a major concern. Thus, in this non-Western setting, civil religion emerges as a temporary alternative to consociational politics of accommodation. Overall, the idea of national integration through a lasting civic creed, whether based on a common secular or religious culture, has yet to take root. [Download]