These are excerpts from the first of a three-part exclusive interview with Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia director-general Dr Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas.

Malaysiakini: Do Malays have a right to renounce Islam?

Syed Ali: The problem is, the Malays are Malays because of Islam, and therefore they are Muslims first. They are not Malays without Islam. The definition of Melayu is a person who is a Muslim first. Secondly, he follows the Malay customs and traditions. Thirdly he speaks the language of the Malay which is derived from Islam. These three make the Malay.

The Malay language is derived from the Arabic language, the language of identity for the Malays, in other words. The Malay language which gives the Malays identity comes from the Quran. 'Ilm (knowledge), for instance, is an identifying trait. And this 'ilm comes from the Quran. In fact, that's what Islam is, all about knowledge. The major feature in Islam is 'ilm.