British colonial rule still influences the Malay mentality

The British took complete control of Malaya in 1824 following the Anglo-Dutch treaty and they encouraged the migration of Chinese and Indian into Malaya. The original population of Malaya were popularly known as Malays, the history of which was explained beautifully by Tun Dr Mahathir in his book. I don’t blame the Chinese and Indians for migrating to Malaya to make better lives for themselves. Rather, I applaud the Chinese for their hard work and being able to make something for themselves wherever they are in the world. India was under British occupation and was suffering as much as the Malays. I do not blame the economic migrants in as much as no one should blame the Indians, Pakistanis, Africans and Chinese who have migrated to the UK and US in search of a better life for themselves.


However, there was no doubt that the British was a colonial power at the time and when they colonized Malaya, it was not their intention to make Malaya a better place rather, it was purely for their own self interest and self-benefit. I think it is important for future generations to understand what the British did to the Malay people, not to hold grudges but to understand the Truth and the reasons behind it in order for us to move forward with a solution that is going to lead us to success, in this life and the akhirah.

One interesting fact that Tun Mahathir stated in his book is how the British sparked nationalism within the Malays. (chapter 3 pg 27) After WW2, the British were ready to form the Malayan Union which would give equal rights to all the races. Already in a disadvantaged position, the Malays organized themselves to form a nationalistic party. By sparking the nationalistic movement within the Malay people, the British has succeeded in destroying all hope for the rise of Islam in this region. This is in line with their international agenda. It was the British who struggled hard to destroy the Islamic Caliphate and they succeeded in doing so in 1924; following the destruction of the Ottoman Caliphate, Lord Curzon made this statement

“We must put an end to anything which brings about any Islamic unity between the sons of the Muslims. As we have already succeeded in finishing off the Caliphate, so we must ensure that there will never rise again unity for the Muslims, whether it be intellectual or cultural unity.”

Lord Curzon, Former British Foreign Secretary

So, the British attempted to destroy any possible Islamic unity in any part of the Islamic world. Hence, it is no surprise for the British to enforce the same policy in Malaya as they did in other parts of the Islamic world. They have succeeded in implanting Arab nationalism, Turkish nationalism and they succeeded in breaking up the Muslims in India into Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indian Muslims. Hence, it was easy for them to implant the same seed within the Malayan Peninsular.

Although the definition of Malay constitutes those who habitually speaks Malay, practices Malay custom and is a Muslim, however, the struggle for the Malay cause was largely a nationalistic one rather than a truly Islamic one. The struggle for Islam would be the struggle to bring back the Islamic way of life, to re-establish the Islamic system in the way that our Prophet (saw) worked to establish the complete Islamic system in Madinah, and eventually spreading it to the rest of the world.

How was the Malay struggle nationalistic? Well, firstly, the struggle of the Malays was confined within the borders drawn up by the British and secondly, it is within a framework of constitutions and laws defined by the British. There should be no doubt in anyone’s minds that despite physical independence from British colonialism, this country is still trapped politically, economically, mentally and psychologically by colonialism.