Malaysian Malays

Malaysian Malay or Malaysians of Malay Muslim origin (Malaysian: Melayu Malaysia, Jawi: ملايو مليسيا) are an ethnoreligious group that are recognised as Malay by the government by using the term of Malay race. The Malaysian Malays form the largest ethnic group in the country with 50% of the population or 19 million people. In Malaysia there are two types of Malay classification that is Melayu Anak Jati (refers to ethnic Malays that are native to the region) and Melayu Anak Dagang (refers to non-Malays that migrated to the region and later assimilated into Malay culture). The Melayu Anak Jati is made up of Malays that have long been established in the country such as Kedahan Malays, Bruneian Malays and others while Melayu Anak Dagang is made up of mostly native Indonesian (primarily Javanese, Banjarese, Acehnese and Buginese) but also includes Chams of Cambodia and Vietnam as well as other ethnic groups that have assimilated into the Malay culture and follow or convert to the religion of Islam (see Malayisation). All Malaysian Malays are considered Muslim by the Malaysian government (except for some cases like Lina Joy), majority followed the Shafi'i branch of Sunni Islam while very small and low-profiled minority followed Twelver Shia Islam and Christianity. Most Malaysian Malay are of Austronesian stock but there are many Malays that intermarried with Arabs, Indians, Siamese and Chinese as well as Europeans, making Malaysian Malay an ethnic group of diverse origins.