MalayMail-Apr 2
Chinese Muslims have existed in Malaysia for hundreds of years, said historian and writer Yusuf Liu, who is originally from China but has made his second home here.
A tall man who speaks rapidly in both English and Malay, Liu employs graceful hand gestures and movements when illustrating his point. A resident of Malaysia for over three decades now, the academic has been a prominent link between the Chinese Muslim community here and China, and is given to using both Chinese proverbs and quotes from the Quran when speaking about this. Beyond bridging the two nations’ Chinese Muslim cultures, Yusuf has accompanied senior Malaysian leaders visiting China, having gone with former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the current Senate president, Tan Sri Rais Yatim, among others. He showed Malay Mail pictures he took of Masjid Kampung Kling in Melaka, which had Chinese characters in its architecture. It was constructed in 1748 and was proof that Chinese Muslims had a long history in the Malay Archipelago, he said. “There are people who look Malay but have Chinese Muslim ancestry,” he said. Like the Chinese Muslims of centuries ago, he said he has found a home here and has given the country further generations. He has also published many books about Malaysia, from the history of the country’s watchtowers to the role of Chinese Muslims in the Malay world. Read more at: https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/04/02/in-malaysia-historian-yusuf-liu-says-centuries-old-traces-of-chinese-muslims-still-seen-today/61993
