KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 — As Malaysia counts down to Hari Raya Puasa this week, the curious may wonder at the flood of Arabic words into the local lexicon, replacing good old Bahasa Malaysia.

You might have heard or seen words like iftar instead of buka puasa, hijab instead of tudung, even Eid Mubarak instead of Selamat Hari Raya proffered and wondered when Arab culture became so widespread.

The adoption of such Arab phrases and customs are far from an overnight sensation but started with the propagation of Islam here as early as the 14^th-century, according to the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais).

Debunking the idea of creeping ‘Arabisation’, the state Islamic authority told Malay Mail Online in a recent interview that early traders from the Middle East introduced their language and customs in the 1300s and that its increasing popularity today is due to the proliferation of tourism activities catering to the 21^st-century Arab visitors.

“As known by society, the religion of Islam was brought to Tanah Melayu by Arab traders since the 14^th century,” Jais director Datuk Haris Kasim said by email, using the Malay word to refer to the Malay peninsula.

“Indirectly, this Arab culture was assimilated to suit the local culture and can be seen until this day. The factor of population and the arrival of tourists from the Middle East also indirectly increases the popularity of the Arab culture. This can be interpreted through the use of language, lifestyle, food, and more,” he said.

Malaysia saw 27.4 million visitors last year, with Saudi Arabia being the Middle Eastern nation that contributed the highest number of tourists at 113,921, followed by Iran (72,264), Oman (34,534), Iraq (27,124), Egypt (26,222), United Arab Emirates (19,772). Along with Muslim-majority Kazakhstan and Turkey, Middle Eastern countries accounted for over 328,000 visitors.

Asked to comment on the prevalence of the use of Arabic word iftar — instead of buka puasa in Malay — to denote breaking fast during the Ramadan fasting month, Haris said such terms gained new-found popularity after they were featured in advertisements.

“The use of this Arabic term has actually been used for a long time. These words were used by a number of Muslims and it became more widely known when there were a few advertisements that started using it widely,” he said.

Arabic terms, long a part of Islam as the language which the Quran is written in, has increasingly appeared in local usage and overtaken the Malay language - used by the Malaysian Malays who are constitutionally Muslims -  in popularity.

Malay words like sembahyang for Muslim prayers in recent years have given way to the Arabic word solat, while the Muslim headscarf for women is known as hijab instead of tudung, and the greeting for the festival at the end of the fasting month is sometimes referred to as Eid Mubarak instead of Selamat Hari Raya.

In an interview with Malay Mail Online published on May 23, prominent social activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir lamented the “Arabisation” taking place in Malaysia, claiming that local tradition and culture was lost as “Arab colonialism” takes over culturally.

Marina, who is also the daughter of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad,  had said it was difficult to find traditional baju Melayu for women during Hari Raya due to the growing popularity of Arab garments like kaftans — long tunics —over the years.

In a Projek Dialog forum last month titled Melayu dan makna-maknanya (Malay and its meanings, speakers were asked whether Malays must choose between being influenced by the Arabic and the modern Western culture.

DAP’s Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud had then stressed the importance of celebrating and accepting the diversity within the Malay community — regardless of whether one felt that Arab issues reflect their identity, also objecting to the “standardisation” of Malays.