They Seclude Their Women To A Great Extent, And
Under Ordinary Circumstances The Slightest Courtesy Shown By A European
Man To A Malay Woman Would Be A Deadly Insult; And At The Sight Of A
Man In The Distance The Women Hastily Cover Their Faces.
There is a large mosque with a minaret just on the outskirts of
Malacca, and we passed several smaller ones in the space of three
miles.
Scarcely any kampong is so small as not to have a mosque. The
Malays are bigoted, and for the most part ignorant and fanatical
Mohammedans, and I firmly believe that the Englishman whom they respect
most is only a little removed from being "a dog of an infidel." They
are really ruled by the law of the Koran, and except when the Imaum,
who interprets the law, decides (which is very rarely the case)
contrary to equity, the British magistrate confirms his decision. In
fact, Mohammedan law and custom rule in civil cases, and the Imaum of
the mosque assists the judge with his advice. The Malays highly
appreciate the manner in which law is administered under English rule,
and the security they enjoy in their persons and property, so that they
can acquire property without risk, and accumulate and wear the
costliest jewels even in the streets of Malacca without fear of robbery
or spoliation. This is by no means to write that the Malays love us,
for I doubt whether the entente cordiale between any of the
dark-skinned Oriental races and ourselves is more than skin deep.
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