ABSTRACT
Singapore now refers to all these people collectively as MalayMuslims ostensibly to distinguish them from the many people of Indonesian origin in Singapore who are not Muslims. A moot point is that one supposedly cannot be Malay if not a Muslim and the descrip tion of a Malay-Muslim would suggest that they are Malays who are not Muslims — an issue that has moved neighbouring Malaysia to consider the Apostasy Bill with ramifications for Singapore Malays and we can only guess how they would feel being described differently from their kith and kin across the causeway. Ironically, there are many Malaysians of Arabic ancestry who regard themselves nothing less than Malays notably the late Syed Dato Ja'afar Albar, one-time UMNO secretary-general who was not even Malaysian-born. Equally, there are many local-born Arabs and other peranakan who, in fact, never properly regarded themselves as Malays.*
This is an issue particularly with the peranakan Indian/Malay mix. Indian Tamils especially those who were part Malay often described themselves as peranakan or DKK or Darah Keturunan Keling or the Melakan Chitty. They did not, especially during the colonial days, seem to readily declare themselves as Malays although many had Malay blood. One of the problems was the unfortunate image of the Malay in colonial times — he was often perceived to be lazy, poorly educated, a peon, a wak kebun (gardener) or a chauffeur.^ Even if one was only mildly mixed and looked morf vlalay, it was somehow more fashionable to be regarded as 'mixed' rather than Malay especially if
Hindu-Buddhism
An animistic belief system preceded the coming of Hinduism. Much of the Hindu rituals fitted with indigenous custom and in time Sanskrit terminology was adopted for local custom. Hinduism was practised as a ritualistic religion of the royal court in the Malay World and because it was not a proselytizing religion, it imparted little or no religious teachings in the way Islam did. Buddhism found easy acceptance in the Hinduized Malay World partly because it was Indian in character and shared many of Hinduism's basic doctrines. The Malay World practised Buddhism while keeping Hindu rituals and mythologies. This was possible since Buddhism is atheistic and did not conflict with the spirit belief system of Hinduism. The symbiosis between these two Indian-based religions is described as Hindu-Buddhist in the period before Islam. For simplicity 'Hindu' or 'Hinduism' will be used in this book to mean Hindu-Buddhism.
