PETALING JAYA: Marriage to an ethnic Malay Muslim does not automatically make a foreign spouse Malay, says home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
In a statement today, Saifuddin said a foreign national's ethnicity would remain unchanged after marrying a Malaysian of Malay descent, clarifying “misleading” reports on his written reply in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
“I wish to emphasise that marriage between a Muslim foreign national and an ethnic Malay Malaysian does not change the foreign national's ethnicity to Malay.
“Their ethnicity remains unchanged, and the national registration department (JPN) will not determine the ethnicity of the foreign national concerned.
“This was clearly stated in my written reply in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, but some reports used headlines that could cause misunderstanding and give the public a misleading impression of the matter.”
He urged the public to read beyond the headlines, check facts, and understand context before sharing information.
In a written parliamentary reply yesterday, Saifuddin said children of Malay Muslims married to Muslim foreigners could be registered as Malays or according to the foreign parent's ancestry.
He was responding to Pang Hok Liong (PH-Labis), who asked whether foreigners married to Malay Muslims could qualify as Bumiputeras and enjoy the associated rights and privileges.
Under the Constitution, a Malay is defined by criteria including professing Islam, habitually speaking the Malay language, conforming to Malay customs, and meeting the relevant constitutional requirements concerning birth or residence in the federation before Merdeka Day.