SHAH ALAM - Pas president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang claims that Malays are not racist despite being forced by colonialists to accept the jus soli (right of the soil) as a condition of independence.
He said through the conditions the Malays have to accept that Chinese and Indians are citizens.
"Some are attempting to depict the Malays as racist without looking at the reality on the ground, but the influence of Islam on Malays can accept the existence of other communities within their society.
The situation is apparent when we observe Chinese and Indian families, they have the freedom to engage in business, farming and practice their religion. However, there are some individuals who, due to their unawareness, may wrongly accuse Malays of being racist," he said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
The Marang MP said the nation allowed each race to use their respective languages until national schools were established and were allowed freedom to disseminate newspapers using their native language.
He also informed that freedom was also given to spread newspapers using the language of the people.
Hadi asked the Chinese and Indians to appreciate the nation's contributions in providing them with their own space or position.
"They should accept the reality that in most countries around the world, individuals who are not original residents and do not adhere to the ideology of the country may not be granted a position or recognition.
"However, Islam provides equal rights for non-Muslim residents that don't follow Islam," he said.
He said the Islamic position of the Malay community should not be arbitrarily challenged and there should be tolerance.