POSITION PAPER 2

LEONITA ARBAIMAN (0724142)

Religion is important but I am Malay first before I become Muslim. I agree with this statement because our born is named as Malay first since we live in Malay culture and the majority environment also are Malay. Malays are an ethnic group of Austronesian peoples predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula and parts of Sumatra and Borneo. The Malay ethnic group is distinct from the concept of a Malay race, which encompasses a wider group of people, including most of Indonesia and the Philippines. The Malay language is a member of the Austronesian family of languages.

There are many kinds of things that can describe what Malay is and what does it look like. But, there is nothing can be learned to be a Malay. We cannot train ourselves to be Malay if we’re not Malay, and there also nothing can be changed for not being Malay as well if we’re already born as Malay. Malay is a race that inherited from our generations. It comes inside us unconsciously, without we learn how to become and be called as Malay. Once we’re Malay, we’ll be Malay forever although we try to change our skin colour, our language, our living style and our belief as Malay as well. It is internal factor that doesn’t show at our surface of life. I am Malay first before I become Muslim might be true because, for being a Muslim we have to learn many compulsory things since we born such as learn to recite the Qur’an, prayer, fasting and all the Fardhu Ain and Fardhu Kifayah. It didn’t mean that if you’re not learning all this sort of thing that makes you’re not Muslim, but all those obligation thing must be learn and must be shows by action if you are truly Muslim that apply Muslim as well. In Malaysia it had been stated that all Malay must be Muslim, but for the whole wide world, not all Muslim must be Malay. It means that in Malaysia, Malay and Muslim cannot be split, it should be together.

For my first point of view, I think to become a Malay, there is no rules and regulations, the same also goes to become a Muslim but nowadays people mostly differentiate between Malay and Muslim because of the unfaith belief about becoming a Muslim. There are so many opponent ideas that actually against the belief that already had been stated in the Holy Qur’an. People seems to more likely to engage with the Malay culture compared to applying and practicing the Muslim rules and regulations of life. This discrepancy of mind set will destroy our nations as a Muslim ummah since we bound to much on something that been created by human rather than being engage with something that had been created by our creator which is Allah SWT.

My second points is in terms of being Malay first before we become Muslim can be seen in the context of living. We born from infant will be nurtured using Malay culture such as learned self-manner which is will be taught indirectly from parents. But, in Muslim ways of behaving and shaping a good characteristic, it can be learned, instilled and must be developed according to the sunnah and it can be refer to the Holy Qur’an that had been mentions and provide the way of life in a very wide concept of human living. If we said that to become a Malay you must have well self-manner and be polite to the elderly but we should realize that other ethnics also emphasize on the same good things that should be encourage in our Malay culture. Unfortunately, why shall we focus on being and claim ourselves as Malay first if we know that it is temporary life living. Our intentions of life must be given to become a truly Muslim whereby it is the only religion that will be accepted by Allah SWT. Hence, if we claim ourselves as Malay, it totally true because we born as Malay but at the same time we should identify ourselves also as internally Muslim since we’re in our mom’s womb already. Our mum and the previous generations also are the creations of Allah. May be we amiss that our life only started when we’re born, but the truth is our soul is already alive for the last 9 months before we deliver into this world.

We should be conscious that being a Muslim need progress and development. We seek for the Muslim reveal knowledge. We seek for ALLAH SWT’s willing. We seek for His reward in the here-after life. Even though, for my early points I have mentions that we are Malay first before Muslim. But, the actual fact in this life is actually we are already Muslim since we’ve been created by ALLAH SWT. Therefore, identifying yourself as Malay first is just by the name of being Malay and there nothing can be done by being a Malay. Meanwhile, deep inside our soul, we are Muslim at all. Only the environment of living makes us Malay, only the region of living makes us become Malay. Can you imagine if suddenly you’re born in other country, would you be other than your ethnic now? The answer will be yes right. That is why we should train and set in our mind that we are Muslim regardless of which country I live and which culture I’ve implement in our lives.

To conclude, I would like to stress my points here where we should think before confess either we are Malay first before become Muslim or we all are Muslim regardless of nothing in this world. If we remain in a conservative thought of varying between being Malay and Muslim, it will diminish our belief because the solely fact of what and who are us is we are Muslims, which is the creations of ALLAH SWT.