Islam in Malaysia update

OK, so I just learned that Islam is, in fact, the official state religion of Malaysia. Ethnic Malays, intriguingly enough, are technically defined as Muslim in the constitution. I find it strange when ethnic groups are defined by their religion; take the Hui, who constitute an ethnic minority in China, by way of the fact that they are Muslim. Many of the Hui are in fact ethnic Han, who form the vast majority of Chinese people (I am, and pretty much every Chinese person you know is Han).

Back to Malaysia. I think Malaysia has done a pretty good job so far of balancing a multi-ethnic society, and has thus far avoided the kind of ethnic tensions in neighboring Indonesia between locals and the Chinese, or between religious groups. Nevertheless, coming from the other southeast Asian countries where cheap beer flows freely, I cannot help but notice the heavy taxes levied on alcohol (a 330ml can of beer starts at about $2.50 USD here. In comparison, this would probably cost about $0.25 USD in Vietnam or Thailand. And although Malaysia is a bit more expensive, street food, fresh juices and other drinks can still be had for less than $1 USD).

I will have to keep my eyes open as I move down the Malaysian peninsula, as Malaysia gets more Malay. Penang is apparently the only state where the Chinese form a plurality, so we'll have to see whether beer prices go up even further or drop off the shelves altogether (although I doubt that). Anyways, the high alcohol taxes seem to have worked, I haven't had a single alcoholic beverage yet. Coconuts and honeydew smoothies all the way!