Informal relations between Egypt and Malaysia have come a long way
Egypt-Malaysia, Religion, 8/2/1997

"In the 1960's we were impressed by the West, but now the tables have turned completely," says Mohamed Unthman, president of the Malaysian Student society in Egypt.

Unthman's attitude reflects the general trend in Malaysia, which as the self-proclaimed defender of the third word, especially the Islamic third world, has turned to forge strong ties with these countries.

Unthman come to Egypt in 1990 to study at Al-Azhar university as part of a recent wave of Malaysian students who are flocking to the religious center to study Arabic and Islam. If Malaysia has good working relations with most middle Eastern countries, its relation to Egypt is of a different order. With countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, trade and political cooperation take top priority.

In Egypt, the presence of Al-Azhar encourages a bond on the cultural and religious levels, so much so that 3,500 Malaysian students in Egypt constitute the main segment of the Malaysian community here.

"Our students go to the West to study technical science, while in Egypt they come mainly to Al-Azhar for religious studies and Islamic sciences," noted Malaysia¹s ambassador to Egypt, Zein Azman. ³Malaysia puts emphasis on Islamic culture and moral values besides economic progress.²

The result is a surge in the number of students here. Whereas the 1960's saw an average of 100 to 200 Malaysian students at Al-Azhar, the numbers climbed over the years to 1,500 in 1992, and still increased over the past five years. However, these numbers reflect a recent trend only in terms of volume. The Malaysian presence in Egypt goes further back and boasts some important public figures.

The Malay Association in Egypt was established in 1930, before the establishment of the Malaysian embassy in 1960. A former president of the association is now minister of Tranogano state. Two ex-members of its board are now respectively minister of industry and a cabinet minister in Malaysia.

The headquarters of the association was a gift from Egypt's first president, Gamal Abel-Nasser, in 1959. Most of Malaysia's current Muslim scholars are graduates of Al-azhar university.

Al-Azhar teachers and Islamic judges are dispatched to Malaysia regularly. The deputy Sheikh of Al-Azhar visited Malaysia in 1991 on the invitation of the state of Kedah in Kelantan. There is an open invitation to the Grand Sheikh, Saied Tantawi, by the state of Johore. The Malaysian government provided scholarships at the university of Cairo for 30 students, sponsored by the minister of Waqfs.

There is also a program for the exchange of lecturers and professors between the two countries.

The Malaysian government has embarked on a program of Islamizing the national education system. There are a number of important Islamic institutions of higher learning in Malaysia, including the Islamic International University and the Islamic Center. Still the push for Islam partly explains why increasing numbers of Malaysians are gravitating to Egypt.

Islam was introduced to Malaysia by traders, mainly Sufis, from the middle east the 14th century. The Sultan of Malacco was the first to be converted to Islam, and many of his subjects followed suit. Today Islam is official religion, though only 50 percent of Malaysians are Muslims, while the rest are divided among various religions including Christianity, Hinduism Buddhism and Confucianism.

The ruling party, the United Malay National Organization (UMNO), is essentially an Islamic party with an emphasis on Islamic values. Malaysia¹s ambassador Azman does not mince his words. ³Malaysian Muslims are all Rfundamentalists¹ because we stick to the fundamentals of our religion,² Unthman said. However, the opposition Islamic party of Malaysia (PAS) are branded as extremists because they are strongly in favor of the nigab (face veil) and disapprove of music. But PAS do not believe in violence. PAS wants to impose the Islamic Shari (religious law) a in a radical fashion, while UMNO believes that the application of the Islamic Shari should be promoted in stages.

The current wave of students is generally impressed with Islamic scholarship in Egypt, but expresses some reservations about certain trends in Egyptian society. First there is the language. Students have complained that Egyptians tend to scoff at people who speak in classical Arabic. Classes are conducted in colloquial Arabic, and classical Arabic is relegated to the Friday sermon and a few lectures at Al-Azhar. Even after lectures, the lecturers speak to the students in colloquial Egyptian. There is also a question of piety. He was disappointed because he sees that many Egyptians are eager to adopt western mores. In Malaysia, alcohol is banned in public places, even though the non-Muslim Chinese minority drink in private. Most Malaysians, says Unthman, feel alienated by life in Western countries, and mainly prefer their own oriental and Islamic values and way of life.

But the two complaints clash in an ironic manner when Malaysians tune in to the BBC's Arabic service, which broadcasts in colloquial rather than classical Arabic.

There are also complaints about alienation, the big city, its disorderly ways, and overcrowded lecture halls. But concerns about language and voles, alienation and the blues, may all boil down to a yearning for home an inability to adapt quickly. That explanation might be lent substance by the fact that a chef is employed at the Malaysian student hostel in Abbassiya to cook Malaysian meals because Malaysian students in Cairo only eat their national dishes.

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