Shifting Identities

Chinese Muslims in Malaysia

Bibliographic Data

ID7437214
AuthorsRosey Wang (National University of Malaysia, corresponding author), Rosey Wang Ma
Year2005
Volume6
Issue2
Pages89-107
Publication date2005-06-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAsian Ethnicity (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1463-1369 • E-ISSN: 1469-2953
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14631360500135146
OpenAlexW2124371278
LanguageEN
Citations received10

This paper concerns Chinese Muslims in Malaysia, and attempts to explain the phenomenon behind the shift in their identities towards either religion or ethnicity. It proposes that, upon arriving in Malaysia, the Chinese Muslims, finding themselves overwhelmed between a majority non-Chinese Muslim community and a majority non-Muslim Chinese community, have, for survival purposes or by political design, rather quickly assimilated into one group or the other. The paper takes as examples a few Chinese Muslim clans or families from different regions of Malaysia. It also briefly narrates the situation of the Chinese converts, and discusses the development in their status from a 'social anomaly that exists in an ethnic limbo'1 1 Judith Nagata, 'The Chinese Muslims of Malaysia: New Malays or New Associates? A Problem of Religion and Ethnicity', in Gordon P. Means (ed.), The Past in Southeast Asia's Present (Secreteriat, Canadian Society for Asian Studies, Ottawa. Ontario, 1978), pp. 102 – 13. to a small community of Malaysian Chinese who are Muslim, and who are accepted as such by all segments of society

Chinese community · Chinese people · Chinese society · Clan · Ethnic chinese · Ethnic community · Muslim community · Phenomenon · Asian Studies and History · Education and Islamic Studies · Socioeconomic Development in Asia

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub