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Who are the Malays? |
- They are the original inhabitants of South-East Asia, especially in the Malay peninsula & Indonesia
- Being the dominant ethnic group with distinctive culture, language & lifestyle, the Malays are interesting people
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What is the history of this region? |
- Through its history, the Malay region has been occupied & influenced by:
- Traders, merchants & sailors: geographically strategic peninsula & archipelago, Chinese
- Thai, Sumatran & Javan empires: invasion & governance
- Missionaries & religions: voodoo, Brahman, Hindu, Buddhism & finally, most recently, Islam
- European colonial masters: Portuguese, Dutch & British
- Independence: self-governance
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How are the Malays? |
- The present Malays are concentrated in Malaysia & Indonesia, both independent countries
- Language: Bahasa Melayu
- Religion: Islam, predominantly Muslims, thus more or less related to Muslims of the Middle East; many go to Mecca for Islamic pilgrimage
- Lifestyle: integrated into the respective socio-economic-political environment, literature
- Culture: the Malay culture
Food: Halal (Islamic ritual) foods only, Nasi Lemak, spicy
- Arts: music, shadow puppeteer, dance, martial arts
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What are your views on Malays? |
- The Malays take a sedentary view towards life, work & relations – do only when they feel for it
- Being more kinesthetically inclined, Malays are candidates-of-choice in sports, foods, teaching, security, defence, transportation & internal affairs
- The Islamic way of life is religiously followed by almost all Malays, young & old – communal, ritual, mosque-prayers, dressing, greetings, family, work
- Faithful & trusting of their leaders, especially religious elders
- Due to their high concentration at a few regions in the world, their world views & outlook on development have mostly been confined to religious domain
- This way of living cultivates satisfaction of the existing state, but leaving little room for freedom of expression, creative innovation & critical analytical perspective – promotion of emotions, neglecting thoughtfulness
- Here is an interesting website by an Indonesian, a sign that some Malays do not confine themselves to the realm of region & religion only
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How do we live with Malays? |
- Malays really like to be left alone
- To work with Malays, we should be natural, firm, confident & most importantly, satisfied with ourselves
- Living beside Malays should be friendly, tolerant & basically high-spirited; utmost respect for their religion, friends & way of life; be willing to share & lend a helping hand in times of good as well as troubles
- Being with Malays is often full of chattering, talking, children sounds, music & communal activities; join in the fun
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Where can we know more about Malays? |
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