Punjabi Malaysians

Last updated
Punjabi Malaysians
Total population
100,000
Regions with significant populations
Peninsular Malaysia
Languages
Punjabi  · Malay  · English
Religion
Sikhism  · Islam  · Hinduism  · Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Malaysian Indians  · Malaysian Pakistanis

Punjabi Malaysians are people of full or partial Punjabi descent who were born in or immigrated to Malaysia. Originating from the Punjab region of present-day India and Pakistan, Punjabi immigration to Malaysia began in the 19th century from what was then British India to British Malaya. [1] The Punjabi Malaysian community today numbers over 100,000 – the majority of whom are Sikhs, although there are also sizeable Muslim, Hindu and Christian minorities. [2] [1] [3] They form the largest Punjabi diaspora group in Southeast Asia, while within Malaysia, Punjabis are the fourth largest ethnicity of Indian or South Asian descent after the Tamils, Malayalis and Telugus. [1] [4]

Contents

Demographics

Punjabis were brought to Malaysia in the mid-19th century, when both the Indian subcontinent and Malaya were under British colonial rule. The earliest Punjabi arrivals included political prisoners from British India, as well as those recruited by the British to serve in the paramilitary and police forces in both Peninsular and East Malaysia, owing to their characterisation as a martial race. They were primarily men and largely composed of Sikhs, who established the foundations of Sikhism in Malaysia. [5] [6] [7] Upon the completion of their service, many of these Punjabis returned to the subcontinent. Amongst the men who remained, those who were Muslims married local women and integrated into Malay society. [1] With the expansion of the community, the second wave of Punjabi settlers included farmers, merchants, tradespeople, hawkers and those in the transportation business. [5]

In the census of 1947, the Punjabi population in Malaysia numbered 30,592 – constituting by far the largest ethnicity from the northern part of the subcontinent settled in Malaysia. [1] During the 1990s, they numbered anywhere from 30,000 to 60,000 individuals. [8] [9] Today, their population is considered to approach or be well in excess of 100,000. [7] [2] [10] Punjabis are considered well-represented in multiple spheres of Malaysia's economy, in particular as professionals, in the academia and civil service, and in the mercantile and money-lending business. [7] [1] The Punjabi Party of Malaysia (PPM) was founded in 1986 and formally registered in 2003 to advance the political interests of the Malaysian Punjabi, and in particular, Sikh community. [11]

The regions with the largest concentration of Malaysian Punjabis include the Klang Valley, Perak and Penang. [2] [5]

Notable people

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhs</span> Ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism

Sikhs are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, an Indian or Dharmic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term Sikh has its origin in the Sanskrit word śiṣya, meaning 'seeker', 'disciple' or 'student'. According to Article I of Chapter 1 of the Sikh Rehat Maryada, the definition of Sikh is: Any human being who faithfully believes in

  1. One Immortal Being
  2. Ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak Sahib to Guru Gobind Singh Sahib
  3. The Guru Granth Sahib
  4. The utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus and
  5. The baptism bequeathed by the tenth Guru and who does not owe allegiance to any other religion, is a Sikh.
<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranjit Singh</span> First Maharaja of the Sikh Empire (1780–1839)

Ranjit Singh, popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He survived smallpox in infancy but lost sight in his left eye. He fought his first battle alongside his father at age 10. After his father died around Ranjit's early teenage years, Ranjit subsequently fought several wars to expel the Afghans throughout his teenage years. At the age of 21, he was proclaimed the "Maharaja of Punjab". His empire grew in the Punjab region under his leadership through 1839.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maha Singh</span> Chief of Sukerchakia Misl

Maha Singh, also spelt as Mahan or Mahn Singh, was the second chief of the Sukerchakia Misl. He was the eldest son of Sardar Charat Singh and Sardarni Desan Kaur Warraich. He was the father of Sher-e-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

The Sikhs are adherents to Sikhism, the fifth largest organized religion in the world, with around 25 million adherents. Sikh History is around 500 years and in that time the Sikhs have developed unique expressions of art and culture which are influenced by their faith and synthesize traditions from many other cultures depending on the locality of the adherents of the religion. Sikhism is the only religion that originated in the Punjab region with all other religions coming from outside Punjab. All the Sikh gurus, many saints, and many of the martyrs in Sikh history were from Punjab and from the Punjabi people. Punjabi culture and Sikhism are mistakenly considered inseparably intertwined. "Sikh" properly refers to adherents of Sikhism as a religion, strictly not an ethnic group. However, because Sikhism has seldom sought converts, most Sikhs share strong ethno-religious ties, therefore it is a common stereotype that all Sikhs share the same ethnicity. Many countries, such as the U.K., therefore misconcievingly recognize Sikh as a designated ethnicity on their censuses. The American non-profit organization United Sikhs has fought to have Sikhs included on the U.S. census as well, arguing that Sikhs "self-identify as an 'ethnic minority'" and believe "that they are more than just a religion".

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The Punjabi diaspora refers to the descendants of ethnic Punjabis who emigrated out of the Punjab region in the northern part of the South Asia to the rest of the world. Punjabis are one of the largest ethnic groups in both the Pakistani and Indian diasporas. The Punjabi diaspora numbers around the world has been given between 2.5 and 10 million, mainly concentrated in Britain, Canada, United States, Western Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in Malaysia</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaysian Indians</span> Malaysian citizens of Indian ancestry

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Chopra is a Ror and Punjabi Khatri surname. They belonged to the Barah-Ghar / Bahri family-group of the Khatris, which also includes the clans of Dhawan, Kakkar, Kapoor, Khanna, Mehra, Malhotra, Sehgal, Seth, Tandon, Talwar, and Vohra.

Surinder is an Indian masculine given name. Notable people with the name include:

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punjabi Canadians</span> Canadian people of Punjabi descent

Punjabi Canadians number approximately 950,000 and account for roughly 2.6% of Canada's population, as per the 2021 Canadian census. Their heritage originates wholly or partly from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sandhu, K. S.; Mani, A. (2006). Indian Communities in Southeast Asia. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. p. 161–162, 581. ISBN   9789812304186.
  2. 1 2 3 Barnes, Jordan (29 April 2018). "Vaisakhi festivities showcase Sikh community's vibrancy". Malay Mail. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  3. ↑ Jähnichen, Gisa; Meddegoda, Chinthaka Prageeth (2016). Hindustani Traces in Malay Ghazal. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 74–76. ISBN   9781443899987.
  4. ↑ "On the Gurdwara Trail in Malaysia: A Spiritual Experience". Sikh Net. 20 January 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Bedi, Rajindar Singh (2001). The Earliest Arrival of Sikhs in Malaya. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  6. ↑ "Sikh migration to Peninsular Malaysia – Part 1". Asia Samachar. 10 June 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 Malhi, Ranjit Singh (7 November 2021). "Outsized contributions of Malaysian Sikhs". Malaysiakini. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  8. ↑ Cohen, Robin (1995). The Cambridge Survey of World Migration . Cambridge University Press. p.  70. ISBN   9780521444057.
  9. ↑ Kaur, Amarjit (1993). Historical Dictionary of Malaysia. Scarecrow Press. ISBN   9780810826298.
  10. ↑ Omar, Hasuria Che (2009). The Sustainability of the Translation Field. ITBM. p. 252. ISBN   9789834217969.
  11. ↑ "Parti Punjabi seeks members". New Straits Times . The New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad. 5 October 2003. Archived from the original on 11 June 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
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