The Arab Malaysians ( ms, Orang Arab Malaysia; ar, ماليزيون عرب; Jawi: ) consists of people of full or partial

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

descent (specifically Hadhrami, other Southern Arabian and Gulf Arab descent) who were born in or immigrated to

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. Arab traders had been visiting Southeast Asia since pre-Islamic times, as Southeast Asia was well connected via the sea route to the markets of Arabia, Persia and China. These Arab traders came from all over the Arabian Peninsula, today comprising the nations of Oman, Yemen, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and other GCC nations. The earliest Arab traders followed

Orthodox Christianity Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Chur ...

, Arabian traditional religion and other religions that had existed in Arabia before the advent of Islam. Islam was later introduced by Arab traders in Malaysia in the 7th and 8th centuries. Arab interest in Southeast Asia soared during the Islamic era, during which more Arab traders arrived to spread Islam. Many Arab migrants were incorporated into the royalty and assimilated into the local Malay culture rather than retaining their

Arab identity Arab identity ( ar, الهوية العربية ) is the objective or subjective state of perceiving oneself as an Arab and as relating to being Arab. Like other cultural identities, it relies on a common culture, a traditional lineage, the com ...

. The states of

Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman and historically as Queda, is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km2, and it consists of the mainland ...

Kelantan Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode"). Kelantan is located in th ...

and

Johor Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the northwest. Johor shares maritime ...

contain a high population of people with mixed Malay and Arab ancestry. Like the Arab diaspora residing in nearby countries such as

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by t ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, Arab Malaysians are assimilated into Malay culture and more-often do not consider themselves "Arab". This was a historical trend of Arab traders in Southeast Asia who quickly assimilated into the native Austronesian culture.

See also

Further reading