Research on Malaysia

 A Little of Malaysia's History
Malaysia is  a federal constitution monarchy in Asia. Malaysia had been conquered by many other civilizations including the British and the Portuguese and they didn't gain their independence until 1957 when the British granted it to them. Malaysia is comprised of thirteen states and three federal territories. Some recent events in Malaysia have been the reelection of Razak and his governing coalition in May 2013. Razak favors the Malays in land purchases, university admissions, and bank loans. Another recent event was the flight disappearance on March 8, 2014 that disappeared while in route to Beijing, China with 239 people on board.

 Religion
Religion in Malaysia is usually tied to ethnicity. The official religion is Islam and about 60  percent is Muslim. They believe in Allah, devote through the five pillars of Islam and pray numerous times throughout the day. 90 percent of the Chinese are Buddhist. Indians generally Hindu (6 percent), Christian (9 percent) or Sikh.

General Attitudes
General attitudes Malaysians have is that success, failure, opportunities, or misfortune are fate or the will of God. Those influenced by Western ideals believe that they result from education or hard work. The government encourages traditional "Asian values" which typically means to put the needs of  the community before one's own needs. Asian countries tend to be more community based and not individualized. Status is determined by property and background. There are still a lot of ethnic tensions between the different ethnic groups in Malaysia.

Attire
Urban residents are influenced by Western style clothing, but both rural and urban residents tend to mix traditional clothing with Western clothing. Like many Muslims, men wear a black velvet cap (songkok) on Friday and women wear head covers, veils, and long dresses or a long shirt made of Batik fabric--quite expensive, but encouraged to wear in order to support the economy.

Greetings and Courtesies
Men shake hands or greet with a bow or nod. When they greet a friend they use both hands to grasp the hand of the other. Women on the other hand greet elderly people with verbal greetings. People of opposite sex never shake hands because it is part of the religion. Some greetings are Selamat pagi- good morning or Al-salam 'alaykum- peace be upon you in more formal situations. Chinese greet with Tze pau le ma- Have you eaten? and Indians with Namaste or Vanakam.How people are addressed depends on their ethnicity and religion. Christians may have a Christian name, Malays are called by their first name, Chinese are addressed by their family name, and Indians address elders as "uncle" or "aunt".

Malaysians tend to bow as an "excuse me" non verbal sign. It is not polite to point fingers or beckon adults. Beckoning is done by waving all fingers with the palm faced down. Gifts must be given and received using both hands. The left hand is considered unclean because it is reserved for personal hygiene. They can't use their feet to move things or point at something and it is impolite to touch another person's head because it is considered the most sacred part of a person's body. You must also cover your mouth while yawning or using a toothpick and public display of affection is inappropriate.

 Visiting
Visiting is done mostly like here, except that for many Muslim states the weekend is on Thursday and Friday. Being punctual is also not so important since people are expected to value people more than schedules. When visiting one must remove our shoes when entering a home and hosts normally serve guests tea or coffee and treats. Drinks must also be received with both hands and guests are not expected to bring gifts unless they are for the children.

Eating
Forms of eating depends on ethnic backgrounds. Guests are usually served first and get to eat first and it is impolite to leave food on the plate. Placing chopsticks or drops of one's drink can indicate that one is finished with the meal.

Marriage
Family is extremely valued in Malaysia. Young married couples tend to live near their parents and unmarried adults live with their parents until they marry. Rural families tend to live with more than one generation and tend to be very large. Dating usually begins around age 17 or 18 and marriage is seen as a joining of two families not just two people.

Birth
Traditions marking birth for Malays is having the dad rub the baby's mouth with a white cloth so that they may always speak the truth, the placenta is buried, and a party is held 44 days after. For the Chinese the mother does not cleanse or leave the house for several weeks after birth as well as the Indians. Most traditions are ethnic based.

Sports
Soccer is the most popular sport as well as many other common activities done in Western countries. Music and dance are prominent and Batik is a popular handcraft. Holidays include the birthday of the monarch the first Saturday in June. The Chinese New Year is in January or February, Ramadan etc.

Education
Education is considered the key to social status and success. Six years of primary and three years of secondary are given. An exam follows to determine whether a student may continue school for two more years or in a trade school. Malay is the main language of instruction, but Chinese and Indians may attend schools with their own native language.