I would agree with Lisa Jaafar's recent letter about being Malay and Muslim at the same time.

Allow me to speak about the late great P Ramlee who thought of rumpun Melayu (Malay race). Like visionaries before him - Sukarno, Jose Rizal, and even Tun Perak and Hang Tuah - P Ramlee advocated that the Malay race was of Mongoloid origin and spoke languages of the Malay family (Austronesian aka Malayo-Polynesian).

By the definition of Ramlee and other visionaries, Malay would mean the natives of Madagascar, the Indian Ocean, the Malay peninsula and archipelago, Thailand and Laos (Siamese), Vietnam, Oceania (except Melanesia), Taiwan (non-Chinese) and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan.

Even the native Americans, whose language bears links to the Indochinese (Burmese) and Malays, could be lumped under the Malay stock since they came from the same Yunnan region as the Indochinese, Chinese and Malays.

To be Malay is not necessarily to be Muslim. The world may have as many non-Muslim Malays as it has Muslim Malays, if the definition of Malay is enlarged.

The linking of Malay and Muslim is fairly recent, done during the time of the British. This was specially to divide the Muslim and non-Muslim people of Malay stock.

If the definition of Malay is broadened back home, Malay would also include Ibans, Bidayuhs, Melanaus, Orang Ulus, Bruneians, Kadazans and Bajaus, even Orang Asli.

This is only fair. Wouldn't it be nice if all the natives of this country, who are obviously descended from a common Malay couple, are lumped together as Malay?

One has to be broad-minded enough to accept the reality that no one race in the world belongs to any one religion. There can be Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, and Christian Malays (Sikh and Jewish do not encourage conversion).

Look at our own country. Leo Moggie and Pairin Kitingan are Christian Malays. Some Temuan Orang Asli are Buddhists and Hindus. Mahathir Mohamad and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi are Muslim Malays.

Leaving Islam however is wrong. One should not leave one's religion to go for another one. All religions are the same and all teach good. Leaving Islam would mean saying that Muhammad was flawed when he is the perfect human being.