I refer to the excellent letter Aryan, Dravidian influence on Malay world undeniable by Malaysian First. I fully agree with the views expressed so clearly by the writer.

After reading the Ikim director-general comments on the above matter , I am inclined to believe that he is deliberately trying to twist the history of the Malay race or trying to confuse readers by mixing race with religion. To say that a Malay is Muslim first is doing injustice to the Malays as a race with a rich culture. What is Dr Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas' agenda?

It is well-documented history that the Malays existed as mostly Hindus before the arrival of Islam to Malay archipelago. Many customs, practices, dress code and the language all point to the Malays having been richly influenced by the Indian/Hindu culture. Even after conversion to Islam in the 14th century, the Malays today still do retain many of the Indian/Hindu influences on their culture.

Just visit Kelantan or Kedah, you will see the many influences of Hinduism. Sadly, the history books have been twisted to deny the fact that Malays were Hindus before their conversion to Islam by Indian Muslim from India who themselves were converted to Islam by the Turks and Persians during the Mughal rule in India.

Among some Malay intellectuals, it seem fashionable to be associated with an Arab origin and maybe that is why Dr Syed (himself of Arab ancestry) so wrongly claims that the Malay language originated from Islam (the Quran).