In the Southeast Asia region, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei are the three countries where Islam is the predominant religion. Indonesia, with 90% of its’ 210 million people being Muslim, is also the largest Muslim country in the world. In Malaysia, a multiracial, multi-religious, and multi-cultural country with a population of 23 million, Malay Muslims stand at a little more than half of the population, followed by Chinese and Indians, the other two large ethnic groups, and many other minorities from various ethnic origins. Ethnicity and religion are closely related in Malaysia. In a very simplistic generalization, Malays are Muslim by constitutional definition, and people of other races are usually not; the other races are free to practice their own religion. This simple belief of ‘Muslim is Malay’ has often led to the undermining of the other Muslim communities in Malaysia who are not Malay, such as the Indians, Pakistanis, Thais, people of Arab / Iranian / Yemeni descent, part of the Melanaus, Dusuns and Kadazans in East Malaysia, and also, the Chinese Muslims.
In Malaysia, Chinese Muslims may be very little in number. The national census 2000 shows the number at more than 57000. However, they have had a long history in this region, spanning at least 600 years, not only in today’s Malaysia, but the whole of the then Malay World. From the original Hui Chinese who came here and settled during the 15th century, to the thousands of Chinese who converted into Islam, the presence and contribution of the Chinese Muslims have unfortunately not been recognized enough by Malaysian historians, scholars and politicians. The objective of this research is an attempt to highlight this presence: the Chinese Muslims in Malaysia, their history and development.
