Prepared by:
NORFAKHRINI BINTI ABDUL RAZAB 0728856
Before I go further to this topic, I want to thankful to Allah because I have been born as a Muslim in this world. We have to discuss about the topic’ of course religion is important but am I first a Malay then Muslim.’ Yes it is true that some people are Malay first then Muslim, but for me, I prefer to be a Muslim before become Malay.
Islam is central to and dominant in Malay culture. A significant number of words in the Malay vocabulary can trace their origins to Arabic which is the chosen language of Islam. Islam is so ingrained in Malay life that Islamic rituals are practiced as Malay culture. Muslim and Malays are interchangeable in many daily contexts. As we can see with our own eyes and ears, all ethnic Malays are Muslims (100%) as defined by Article 160 of the Constitution of Malaysia. There also substantial numbers of Indian Muslims and a few numbers of ethnic Chinese convert. Therefore, we as Malay people automatically become a Muslim. Everything that we had go through since we were in our mother’s womb, and also the way our parent produce us, was following the Islamic ways and teaching.
One of the most cultures that as a Muslim always concern is covering the aurah. For example by wearing the tudung, or the hijab, is a symbol of a Muslim woman. For me, wearing the hijab is doesn’t mean you are Malay, but you are Muslim and because of all ethnic Malays are Muslims, so they should be obey with the rules and Islamic teaching in their whole life and automatically they become Malay Muslims. For example, a sweet Malay girl child who comes from Islamic family and Muslim parent, she wears the beautiful scarf and her parent teach her to pray but is she understands why she needs to wear it? In al-Quran has stated, teach your children to pray since they are in age 7 and do beat them if they do not do it. The important thing that I want to highlight here is, that sweet girl is growing with the Islamic life first before she has been taught about Malay culture or other culture in this world.
Let see from other perspective, nowadays Malay people still confuse with their culture and religion including me myself. In Malay culture, there have a lot of beliefs that may arise out the confusion among them. The beliefs here mean their understanding to religion (Islam) and compared to the past messages by people who live in the past time ( pesan orang tua-tua). The best example here is like Malay people believe that the woman who is in period time is not allowed to cut their finger nails. Most of them say that it has been taught in Islamic education, but actually it is not true. It is just the message that old people leave to new generation in order to remind them that it is needed to clean up ourselves while we are in period time and it may avoid woman from disturb by syaitan. Therefore, we can see that, Malay still Malay. But religion is always number one, and if we are Muslim then Malay, we should concern on Islamic culture first by getting more knowledge in many view such as Malay culture, Islamic perspective or other ethnic culture. If a Muslim understands and has full of knowledge, therefore the good Malay can be producing in this world, otherwise the Malay culture also running on Islamic line in all aspects. Knowledge and flexibility are indeed the key to building trust and respect in our relationships with other cultural and ethnics.
In conclusion, I’m proud to be a Muslim and to be Malay. We are taught to be a good person (al-Ihsan) in our religion. All human beings are born in Islam and it depends on their parent to shape their children either to be a good or bad man. So, for me Islam is the complete and the true religion in this world.
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