Marriage to Malay Muslims doesn’t change foreigners’ ethnicity, says Saifuddin

Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said a foreign national’s ethnicity would remain unchanged after marrying a Malaysian of Malay descent. (Bernama pic)PETALING JAYA: Marriage to an ethnic Malay Muslim does not automatically make a foreign spouse Malay, says home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

In a statement today, Saifuddin said a foreign national's ethnicity would remain unchanged after marrying a Malaysian of Malay descent, clarifying “misleading” reports on his written reply in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

“I wish to emphasise that marriage between a Muslim foreign national and an ethnic Malay Malaysian does not change the foreign national's ethnicity to Malay.

“Their ethnicity remains unchanged, and the national registration department (JPN) will not determine the ethnicity of the foreign national concerned.