Machine summary:
" The desire for merdeka, constitutional safeguards for the Malay community, the background and orientation of the UMNO leadership, the UMNO-MCA relationship, the communist threat, British pressure, nonMalay demands, and the significant non-Malay role in the economy, among other factors, seem to have been responsible for the resulting accommodation.
Although it did not see itself as an Islamic party and clothed its aspirations in nationalist garb, its underlying concern was the same as PAS's: the accommodation of non-Malay communities through liberal citizenship laws threatened to make Malays a "back number" in their own country.
Malays often evince certain attitudes associated with aspects of Qur'anic universalism: one should not be unjust to non-Malays and non-Muslims, one should recognize that they are human beings with similar needs and aspirations, and one should tolerate some of their religious and cultural practices.
Our analysis has shown, however, that the tolerant and accommodative attitude of the Malay-Muslim community mirrors a larger Islamic world view that has found expression throughout Muslim history.
Non-Malay communities continue to perform important roles in various spheres of society despite certain trends that have impacted upon their political and economic position since 1970.
" Such a view would enable non-Malays to understand better the position of Malay as the sole official and national language, the role of Islam in Malaysian society, the political preeminence of Malays, and the policies that extend special economic assistance to Malays and other indigenous communities at this juncture in history.