Minority Ethnic Communities in Northern Ireland
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PEOPLE OF MALAY ORIGIN
BACKGROUND
The Malay community in Northern Ireland is a very small one comprising of approximately fifty people, the majority of whom are students living in Belfast. Most residents come here on a temporary basis and will eventually return to Malaysia.
LANGUAGE
Bahasa Malaysia
This is the language mainly spoken by Malays. The written form uses the English alphabet.English
This is spoken by Malays as a second language.RELIGION
Malaysia is an Islamic country and Islam has a profound effect upon the Malay way of life.
The majority of Malay people are Muslims. However, a small proportion of Malays are either Hindus, Buddhists or Christians. For further information on Islam and Hinduism, please refer to the relevant sections in this book.DIET
The staple diet is rice accompanied by curries of meat, fish and vegetables. Coconut milk is an essential ingredient in a lot of Malay cooking.
Muslim and Hindu dietary restrictions are the same as those practised worldwide. Please refer to the appropriate sections for more information. DRESS
Traditional Malay dress is very distinctive. Females wear a long-sleeved shirt (Baju) and long skirt (Kurong) but due to the weather conditions here, Western dress is usually adopted. On special occasions, males wear a long-sleeved shirt and trousers with a sarong wrapped round the waist. Western style clothes are worn at all other times.
Female Muslims who adopt the Arab culture will cover up their head completely with a head dress called the Hijab and they will adhere strictly to the modest dress code laid down by Islam.
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