Malaysian Culture Amazes Arab Students

By Muhamad Razee Hasan KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's success in nurturing racial harmony has cast a lasting impression among Arab students here. Telling the Saudi Arabian daily, Asharq Alawsat, that they have been leading an interesting life in peaceful Malaysia, they also spoke of their pleasant experience in the country, including in their respective institutions of higher learning. A Syrian student known only as Hamad, a student at an English language institute in the national capital, recounted his experience during the Chinese New Year celebration in January and said that Malaysia celebrates numerous occasions because of its multiracial and multireligious people. Saudi Arabia's cultural attache in Malaysia, Musha’l Thomi said the scholarship for Arab students to study abroad, including in Malaysia, was not only for the sake of academic qualifications but also to enrich them with knowledge and enhance their skills. "Experience like this will enlighten the students through their interactions with the society, and the need to abide by the law and instil in themselves respect for others irrespective of their race, gender or religion," he said. "This kind of learning will help them stave off racism. This is among the objectives of this programme," he told the Asharq Alawsat reporter, Badr Al Qahtoni. Musha'l described the Malaysian society as extremely polite and well-mannered as well as law-abiding and continuously practising harmony. "This is very much different from the situation in the Arab world," he was quoted as saying. A Saudi Arabian student, Abdul Aziz Al-Ghamidi, said when shopping he would use his right hand to hand over the money as a show of respect. "This is a tradition among Malaysians when they hand over something. This will make others to respect us more." He also spoke about a good attribute among Malaysians during a conversation. "They will always listen to the other person, try to understand what is being said and only then responding to it. This is different from the way we converse," he said, adding that Malaysian would also say pleasant words such as "thank you," and "please," and would always smile. He added that regulations in Malaysia are such that they make it easy for foreign students to obtain the service they required. Apart from these attributes, he also observes something that is unique among Malaysians -- their obsession with teh tarik (hot Malaysian tea beverage). -- BERNAMA