MALAYSIA FOUR

The entrance of Islam

The commercial situations of the islands of Malaysia as well as its lucrative agricultural corps caused the entrance of the Muslim merchants into that country from south and west of Asia who made a close and enduring relationships with the indigenous people that a number of these Muslims gradually became the permanent residents and attracted a number of Muslims to that country after their immigration.

Malaysia and the problem of colonialism

The colonial forces in the 16th century by the pioneering of Portugal entered into the Islands of Malaysia and after a period of time in the seventeenth century the Netherlands and in the 19th century England replaced with them and built its den in that Islamic land. In the 19th century the missionaries through the support of the colonialist government of England as well as by the advocate of the Christian world of the west followed up the promulgation of Christianity in the various ways. Anyhow, the presence of colonialism and the cruelties rooted from it, brought about the much more Islamic solidarity among the people of Malaysia. The people through relying upon the Islamic teachings and dynamic and strong religions culture resisted against the colonialism and it is natural that the initial cries of the resistance and the first banner of endurance were emerged among the Muslims. In spite of the independence of Malaysia the colonialism played a trick and through the separation of Singapore inflicted another hit upon this country.

The indexes of the presence of Islam in Malaysia

With respect to the manifestations of presence of Islam in Malaysia there could be indicated to the following cases:
1-the observation of Islamic hijab (veil) by the Muslim women of Malaysia that is very considerable and notable, It should be mentioned that it is not only the Islamic veil which is reckoned as a manifestation of Islam in Malaysia but also the Islamic rites and customs encompass the private and family lives of people in Malaysia.
2-the Islamic rites and customs relevant to the birth of child, marriage, divorce and death are entirely dominated the Islamic community of Malaysia.
3-the distinguished status of the religious ulama (scholars), Sadat, the religious teachers, Hadjies (the persons who have performed hajj) among the various strata of Malaysian people is another manifestation of the religiousness of the people of this country.
4-sensitivity towards the other Muslim’s destiny is another manifestation of the influence of Islamic culture as well as Islam among the people of this country.
In the various calamities that occurred to the Muslims in the recent decades including problem of Balkans’ Muslims (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and the increasing problems of Palestine nation the Malaysian country took stance very actively sympathetically, and with the taken stance went so far that incited the reaction of a number of the western authorities.

Interaction between politics and religiousness

According to the Malaysian constitution, Islam is the official religion of Malaysia but the people are free in selecting their religion as well as in performing their religious rites even the followers of the other religions are permitted to propagate their religious beliefs among their co-religionists, the king, the prime minister and the rulers of the states of Malaysia must be Muslim but the members of the cabinet are not necessarily Muslim and they could be from the other non-Muslim minorities. With the purpose of maintaining the integrity and preventing the religious interruption, the government of Malaysia has created various organizations and organs with the aim of controlling the Muslim activities and arranging their affairs.

The general policy of the government of Malaysia

The cultural area is based on this presupposition that Islam is an expedient religion and compatible with the spirit of democracy. The government of Malaysia is against the extremist conceptions from Islam and supposes that the extremism of a number of the Islamic movements is incongruous with the democratic principles ruling on Islam.

The language and the handwriting

The official language of Malaysia is Malayo or Hasa Malaysia which is used in the educational system and the entire correspondences of country. For the time being the handwriting of this country is Latin and the second language of the country is English language.

Islam a factor of multilateral advancement

Dr. Mahatir Mohammad (the then prime minister of Malaysia) with respect to explaining the development of Malaysia emphasizes: “the entire programs as well as the mechanisms that are applied in Malaysia that have led to the advancement and renown of Malaysia were inspired from Islam, with respect to economy Malaysia is very rich and it is the greatest exporter of caoutchoue in the world. It has also the other exporting goods but Mahatir Mohammad the then prime minister of Malaysia told these situations have been under the auspices of Islam.”

Holding the Quranic competition annually

One of the fixed programs of Malaysian government that is being hold regularly with a specific glory for many successive years is the holding of the international competition of memorization, recitation and interpretation of the Holy Quran that is usually held in the holy month of Ramadan annually. This phenomenon shows the attention of Malaysian government and more important that the people of Malaysia to the Holy Quran and the various positives spiritual and social impacts of it.
The another subject is convening the various kinds of political symposia such as the summit of the heads of OIC as well as the symposium of the foreign ministers of the Islamic countries and the other commercial, economic and the trade unions symposia that annually we are witnessing their convening in that country.

The sources:
1-Asia: recognition of the countries, translated by Framarz Yavari, Tehran, Gitashenasi, 1371
2-the great Islamic encyclopaedia
3-Etelaat Newspaper, No. 19692, 19697
4-Keyhan Newspaper No. 15038 Tuesday dated 20/1/1373 (April 9, 1995)
5-Goli Zavareh Gholamreza, recognition of Islamic countries, Qum, the publications of Bureau of Islamic propagation, 1378
6-Lapidoos, Ira, M, The history of Islamic nations in 19th and 20th centuries, translated by Dr. Mohsen Moodir Shanehchi, Mashhad, Bonyad.