'World must recognise M'sia belongs to Malays'

Islamic NGO Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) today demanded global recognition that Malaysia is the land of the Malays, claiming that scientific study had proven that the Malay civilisation was older than Angkor Wat or Borobudur.

"Like how the world recognises that China is for Chinese, India is for Indians, England for the English, Ireland is for the Irish, and Germany is for Germans, surely Malays have their own land," Isma's vice-president II Abdul Rahman Dali said in a statement today.
Quoting a scientific research, Isma said that the Malay genes was proven to exist before the that of the Chinese.
"This region, which centres at the land of the Malays, is called the Cradle of Human Civilization, which gave birth to other ethnicities. So it is valid that this land belongs to the Malays originally," he said.
He also claimed a recent research showed that the Kedah Tua Malay civilisation in Lembah Bujang dates back to the 2nd century BC, thus confirming that the civilisation was older than archaeological and historical sites such as Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Borobudur in Indonesia.
"As such, we want the Chinese, Indians or anyone not to question the Malay position anymore. We also want the whole world to recognise Malaysia, which is known as Malaya, as the heritage and right of the Malays," Abdul Rahman said.
Isma's statement today comes following months of increasing demands by several Islamic and Malay rights NGOs, including Isma and Perkasa, to strengthen Malay supremacy in the country.
The calls grew louder ever since a kangkung-themed flash mob, organised by PKR's Machang Bubok assemblyperson Lee Khai Loon, which angered such NGOs who claimed the act of stuffing the leafy vegetable into an effigy of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak was an affront to Malays and the rulers.
Racial and religious tension in the country have escalated of late, partially due to the Court of Appeal ruling in October last year that Catholic weekly The Herald is not allowed to use the word 'Allah' to address God in its Malay texts.
The Christian community in Malaysia, especialy those in Sabah and Sarawak, have used the term in Malay copies of the Bible for years, however, various other quarters have claimed that 'Allah' is exclusive to Muslims.