A generation ago, the Malays, who started a civilization and governance here - the group of brown skins - sort of between the yellowness of someone of Chinese origin and darker ones of Indian origin, did sometime that is known today - putting in writing the definition of a "Malay".
Probably that's their practice ages ago, all doors was opened for anyone to become a "Malay". Because of this "openness" many claims that being "Malay" means one has no definite origin and all are aliens or "pendatang". That is sad, for it means, utterly not recognizing the existence of a local civilization and governance here.
The element that make a Malay so open is their common religion Islam. Though their school of thought is Shafie, that too becomes a non issue. A muslim of Indian or Chinese or Arabs or Pushtu or whatever origin who reside in "Tanah Melayu" or literally, MalayLand, which was later named Malaysia, practice the local culture here (should be case because they are here) are taken as Malays.
By that definition, a "Malay" is not a race anymore! Unlike even the "Arabs" - there are Arab Maronites and Arab Coptic Christians and many more. For generations, if the writer Mr P. Uthayakumar; does not realize that, let me informed him, that students from the institutions you names have that Chinese, Indians, Pustu, Europeans look. Just look at RPK, Hishamuddin Rais, Hishamuddin Tun Hussain Onn, Anwar Ibrahim etc - They have one thing in common, they were MCKK students.
We would like to remind the writer,Mr P. Uthayakumar that the psychic of what happened in the Indian subcontinent has probably escaped the writers head ! Hasn't it? Indian subcontinent were divided into two countries - for Independence purposes! one India for Hindus (also known as Hindustan or literally means "HinduLand" ) and another Pakistan for Muslims. Due to religious affiliations, the Muslims in what is now India migrated to Pakistan and Hindus in what is now Pakistan migrated into India, then, though they are of the same stock. The are still a sizable Muslim minority in India (more than the numbers of Malay, here in Malaysia) and they are at times at logger head with the Hindus in India. Historically there are States in India with a majority Hindus governed by Muslims Sultans.
It is unfortunately that the colonialist had cause all that! We hope we are not hook-winked by
their slogans of human rights and freedom of speech bla..bla..bla.. They are the culprits that cause the partitioned of the Indian subcontinent into two Nations, Hindustan and Pakistan - the two have fought each other what, three major wars? And today waste their valuable resources in arm race and nuclear arms, some more - bent on wiping each other out of existence, what a shame! In the "mother of all democracy" - America, their African American is still fighting for a place under the sun and their American Indians (the Apaches, Sioux etc) (as oppose to Indian Americans) are sent to reservations and remains incognito to this day! That tells a lot about sloganeering...
As a result the tendency of an "Indian Malaysian" to think that being "Indian" necessarily means being Hindu! No my friend, Mr P. Uthayakumar not so. Please revisit the Indian history. We have "Indians muslims" in Malaysia of distinct sect Hanafis, these groups have their own mosques normally called "masjid India" at many places in Malaysia. Their kids have gone to those institutions you had cited including other lesser known Maahads and Madrassahs. Their distinct identity is because they assimilate less with the Malays.
I am Malay by definition, Islam by faith. According to my paternal grandma she is a Minangkabau, my paternal grandpa originates from Yunnan. On my mother side, his father has Turkish blood. So ... I am definitely a Malay. I hope you have no problems with that, we are here to live peacefully in this God given world and let us not kick each other in the groin.
