BY: CHRISTOPHER FERNANDEZ

While there were no available statistics of the number of Indian Muslims in the country, what has become obvious about them is that in a changing landscape they are taking on a quirky approach about their identity as a people.

The saga that has evolved about them is that they appear to want to shed the ‘Indian’ in their identity and take on a certain Malay Muslim stance to join, link and identify themselves with Malay Muslims in the country.

The reason for this is simply to benefit economically and financially, so they disdain and refrain from speaking in the Tamil language which is actually their mother tongue but they prefer to communicate in the Malay language.

Many of them probably take the cue from disgraced Malaysian dictator, Mahathir Mohammad, himself having Indian blood but vehemently in denial and assuring Malays that he is one of them, a full blooded Malay.

In the process, Indian Muslims think, act and behave more Malay than the Malays and follow the ways and customs of the Malays though they are by identity of Indian origin which is really an indication that they are ashamed of being Indian.

Many Indian Muslims try to align themselves with Malay based political parties and this game of charades by them is really that they are seeking Bumiputra status when they are not entitled to it as they are actually Indian.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE

** The views expressed on this opinion is of the writer and not the publisher