What is a Malay?

What is a Malay?

Really, lets ponder that for a moment....hmmmm...a Malay....

Well, according to the constitution, a Malay is someone who:

1: Speaks Malay
2: Practices Malay Customs
3: Practices the Islamic Faith (is a Muslim)

Well, ok... following those conditions, is it possible for my Indian/Chinese friend to be come Malay?

Apparently it is!

Yeah, considering how most Malaysians speak Malay (with varying degrees of ability) and assuming they grew up in Malay communities (which means they practice Malay customs/culture to a certain extent), all they need to do is convert to Islam and voila, they are Malays!

Yes, it IS that easy... (since we know how easy it is to become 'Muslim' in this country).

oh, wait, i can hear the UMNO strongmen shaking their keris, braying for it to be bathed in my infidel blood... claiming that there is no way i can be right...

well, ok, i am by nature non-confrontational, so emulating my favourite Malay politicians, i thus retract my statements (with fingers crossed).

So, lets take another look at this term, this Malay/Melayu term...

Historically, the term 'Melayu' has been used to refer to locals who inhabited the Malay Isles (Kepulauan Melayu). Generally this included the greater part of the southeast asian Archipelago and the Malay Peninsula.

The Kesultanan Melayu Melaka, as all good SPM students know, was started by an Indonesian (Palembang) Prince. So, obviously the term 'Malay' was quite widely used.

So using this rather simple definition 'Malay' being those originating from the Malay Isles, one can say that the Kadazans, Ibans, Melanaus, Bajaus, the Orang Asli and even our Indonesian, Phillipino (Descendants of the Sulu Sultanate) and Thai (the descendants of the Kelantanese Sultanate) are sub-ethnic groups which fall under the umbrella ethnicity of Melayu.

Whoa...heheheh, that keris looks really sharp...

Ok, ok, lets rethink this, hmmm...

What is Malay? Hmm, lets see...considering that our Malay culture and customs stem from Hindu, Chinese, Islamic and Siamese practices... its a bit tough to categorise i guess.

Here is my personal (unsupported) theory:

The Malays as we know them today are descendants of the citizens of our sultanates of long past who intermarried with the various traders who came from the Indies, China, Middle East...etc... As our Isles were popular stops for traders from every corner of the globe, it wasn't rare for traders to intermarry with the locals so as to make their stay easier everytime they came around.

Which would explain why Malays look so different from each other.

Some have Chinese features, some have more Indian features, some look Arabic and even adopt Arabic surnames.

Think about it....

How do you (physically) tell if some one is Malay?

Here in Malaysia its pretty simple: If you don't look very Indian/Chinese/Foreign you probably are Malay.

This theory of intermarriage would also explain why the offspring of Chinese-Indian marriages often look very 'Malay'.

Anyway, there you have it, three different definitions, given from a legal, societal and historical point of view...

Ok, one last final definition, which i think is probably the most accurate.

The Malay are a Political entity. A group of settlers who came here before the Indians and the Chinese who decided to put aside their differences and band togther as a 'race'.

As a political entity, they effectively control Malaysian politics and those deemed unsympathetic to their plight are squashed.

So how do you become a Malay?

Simple, step forward, profess Islam and claim to stand for the rights of all Malays.

So it doesn't really matter if you are of Chinese/Indian/Arabic/Caucasian/Afrcian heritage. As long as you claim to be Malay, you probably are. Notice how a lot of UMNO politicians are of Indian descent?

Malay Culture? Malay Language? They are a result of the mish-mosh of cultures which came to settle here earlier. Heck, even the keris, which we so proudly brandish at UMNO general assemblies are traditionally an Indian (Hindu) weapon. Google 'Kris' and you'll see what i mean.

Honestly speaking, Malays have and will always be a political entity. As long as we can stay united that way, our rights won't be challenged.

Without the presence of a political entity, we would become divided due to our inherent cultural and physical differences.

So, am I Malay?

Yeah, Politically anyway ;)