Malaysia a Multi-Cultural Country

Malaysia is a tropical country with around 25million people. Malaysia located at Southeast Asia, peninsula bordering Thailand and Northern one-third of island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia, Brunei, South China Sea and South of Vietnam. Malaysia separated in two islands just similar as New Zealand, the only difference is West and East Malaysia and they are sharing the island with other countries as has mentioned before. The capital city (Kuala Lumpur) is located in West Malaysia, and Sabah (Borneo) and Kuching (capital city of East Malaysia) are located in Sarawak (East Malaysia). The major religious in Malaysia are Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, and Hindu. Malaysian official language is Malay, and English the second. Apart from Chinese, Indian and Malay, there are several native cultural such as Iban, Bidayuh, Kadasan, and so on. This essay is going to give the foundation idea of three main cultural and also a briefly talking about Iban people.

Malay or Melayu called themselves the “bumiputeras’’ in Malaysia, bumi in Malay language means earth, and putera means prince or son. Overall it means “The Son of Earth”. The population has consisted around 60% (including indigenous people of the land) and the other cultural are consisted the rest of the percentage. Most of Malays in Malaysia are Muslims. If anyone has fall in love and want to be married with Muslim, he or she will be forced to become a Muslim. Or else the Muslim parents in law or even the Muslim community would not accept this marriage. I had a Chinese teacher when I studied in Malaysia; she has married to my Muslim teacher who taught me Malay language. She was an atheist, she did not join any religious but because of the marriage she had to join the Muslim. I asked her before about if she is regretted, but she told me she will not regret of what she has chosen. ‘’I am not, and I will not regret as long as I am with my husband,’’ my Chinese teacher said that to me. Therefore I personally