MIH514 - Cross-Cultural Perspectives Module 1 - SLP Essay

MIH514 - Cross-Cultural Perspectives Module 1 - SLP - Essay Example Besides, immigration laws are relatively friendlier especially with growing number of â€Å"edu-tourism† agencies, which are aggressive in ensnaring would-be students. Of great importance is the enormity of Malaysia’s diversities. Most of what is presently called Malaysia was under the Buddhist Malay kingdom of Srivijaya, for almost five centuries (from the 9th to the 13th centuries AD). The territory later came under the powerful Hindu kingdom of Majapahit in the 14th century. Islam started penetrating the Malays in the early part of the 14th century through to the 15th century. By this time, Malaca has become a major commercial centre, where Chinese, Arabs, Malays and Indians traded. Europeans traders (starting with the Portuguese and the Dutch) joined in the 16th century. The British gained control of Malaca from the Dutch in 1826 (www.state.gov). In 1867, Britain formally established control of the land as a colony. After almost a century rule (in 1963), present-day Malaysia created. By 1965, the British colonial administration separated Singapore (with a dominant Chinese population) as an independent country from Malaysia (now with dominant Malay population) given the prevalent tension between the two territorially disaggregated populations (World Almanac Education Group, 2006, 802). Today, Malaysia with a population of about 28 million is considered as one of the most cosmopolitan countries in the world. It a center sustained relationship among Indonesian archipelago, the Islamic world, India, China, and Europe. This makes it one of the most heterogeneous countries in the world with a blend of Malay, Chinese, Indian, Eurasian cultures as well as cultures of indigenous groups. Religion strongly correlates with ethnicity in Malaysia. The Malays are largely Muslims, the Chinese are dominantly Buddhists while the