plf ac a d e m i c ta lk
“Rum, Ferringghi and Other
Foreigners” – a talk by Professor
Dato’ Dr. Ahmad Murad Merican
Malay views of Westerners and the
history behind these views have been
the subject of Professor Dato’ Dr. Ahmad Murad Merican’s research for more
than five years. The first recipient of the
Perdana Leadership Foundation’s Honorary President’s Resident Fellowship,
Professor Murad has been investigating
this aspect of the Malay psyche as well
as the intellectual development of the
Malays.
On 26th November 2015, Professor Murad shared some of these views
with other academics and interested
members of the public in a talk entitled,
“Rum, Ferringghi and Other Foreigners: The Ethnic “Other” In The Malay
Imagination” at Perdana Leadership
Foundation.
“Rum” in this respect refers not to
the alcoholic beverage but to a location
that has been mentioned in Hikayat
Hang Tuah. Professor Murad explained
that Hang Tuah was a much respected
statesman in the various polities of the
Malay Archipelago, serving as the Sultan
of Malacca’s representatives on many
missions in the 15th century. Contrary
to popular belief, the “Rum” or “Rome”
mentioned in the Hikayat does not refer
to Rome, Italy but it more likely referred
to the capital city of the Ottoman Empire, or Constantinople.
Ferringhis, on the other hand, is a
word adopted by the Malays from the
Portuguese language which translates
into “foreigners”. Hence, Batu Ferringhi
was named to mean “Foreigners’ Rock”
by the Malays. Some attribute Ferringhi as originating from the Persian term
of Farang or Farangi, which means the
European (Frank). Other terms to describe foreigners include Faranj, Franji,
Paranki, and Parangiar. What is clear is
Professor Dato’ Murad and Moderator, Dr. Hamisah Hasan of UPM
that the Malays used the word “Ferringhi” to refer to foreigners.
Professor Murad pointed out that
John Leyden’s Malay Annals 1821 confirmed that the Malays had been exposed to other civilisations well before
the Portuguese and the Dutch. The
colonialists were not the Malays’ first
encounter with Westerners. In fact, the
Europeans were very much astonished
and impressed by the ports of the Malay Archipelago against which Venice,
Rotterdam and London paled in comparison.
Due to the presence of the colonialists in the Malay Archipelago along with
settlers from other countries such as the
Middle East, India and China, the Malays
have often wrestled with the question
of identity. What