Muslim Minorities in Asia: What Determines Their Treatment? Muslims in Mongolia, China, India, Singapore, and Russia

Abstract

This study employs the theoretical framework of the Securitization of Islam to examine the treatment of Muslims in five minority-Muslim Asian countries: Mongolia, India, China, Singapore, and Russia. The research adopts a qualitative approach, utilizing secondary data analysis, followed by a quantitative analysis using an original Index. This Index assigns scores to each country based on their treatment of Muslims, drawing from the Freedom House Index and the Pew Research Center. Through linear regression and coefficient analysis, the study seeks to identify the most influential factors affecting these scores, including regime type, historical relations with Muslims, and the Muslim population within each country. The findings indicate that regime type exerts the most significant influence on the treatment of Muslims, with China demonstrating the least favorable treatment and Mongolia displaying the most favorable conditions.