# Americans in Malaysia ???



## Edgenaples (Dec 19, 2012)

Malaysia seems like a nice place to retire. I've been to Thailand a couple times and really like it. I also read a lot about Malaysia, but have always been a bit...ummm...I've always kind of dropped it off my list because it is a muslim country. No offense...I just want a carefree retirement and wonder if that could be an issue for an older American couple. I just wanted to see if other Americans were retired there and if they've encountered any problems.


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## sendomike (Oct 6, 2014)

Hello, Michael here. I'm a local Malaysian and a real estate agent in Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia is actually a nice place to retire. Though technically a Muslim country, Malaysia has 3 main race, Malay Chinese and Indians. 

I have shown a retired UK couple around recently, and they seems to love it here. They have settled at Bangsar, which has a big expat community. The area with the most expat community is Bangsar and KLCC.

If you like, you can have a visit and I can show you around as well.


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## cvco (Mar 20, 2015)

Im a Californian in Malaysia almost 16 years and never had a problem with any Muslim. In fact they are my best friends overall and I like them very much. They have never shown me anything but kindness and gentleness.

There is an extreme element also here and that may become a problem as time goes on. There are ISIS members here as well. But I can say no Muslim has ever posed any problem for me and I never felt in any way unsafe, contradictory to rumors and assumptions. 

Malaysians are a very friendly lot, ALL races, and Islam is moderate, not like Saudi Arabia. But for you to feel good about this, you must meet Malaysians half-way and without fear. Malaysians are very social and responsive to true friendliness. Dont fear people, dont look down on them, be open to invitations, join everything. Be a honest friend, treat them well, find things to laugh about. Of all the world, if I was having a party I would only invite Malaysians. 

Its an ideal place to retire and a lousy place for a foreigner to work or have a business. The food, natural beauty, climate, prices, all pluses; politics, corruption, race tensions, things like that are the minuses. For you, as an older couple, not working, its very peaceful and enjoyable for long term. Forget about Islam, its no problem at all, inflation is your major worry and headache and you need to plan for that. Everything else can be worked out with patience and an open mind.


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## prof.ishack (Jul 4, 2014)

I'm an American, married to a Malaysian. I lived in Malaysia back in the mid-late 1990's for a couple of years and moved back last year. I have to agree with everything that CVCO said. There are no issues being a non-Muslim living in Malaysia and love living here. The cost of living is a fraction of the US (and I'm from Indiana, so the difference will be greater than high COL places like California or New York), the food is great, and medical care is very good (and cheap). 

As CVCO said there are some more conservative movement in the Muslim community, but it's being pushed in part for political reasons. I suspect that it will swing back to the middle in time, ther are already many movements within the country to push things back to a more secular society. 

However KL is getting a bit crowded and expensive, you might want to look at Ipoh, Penang (also starting to get expensive) or other medium size cities. But everywhere is cheap compared to the US in my opinion. I don't know how it compares to Thailand, but as I recall Phuket was pretty expensive in comparison the last time I was here. 

But I wouldn't let the fact it's a Muslim country deter you, it's very open to non-Muslim expats. You can find all the alcohol and pork that you want, and no fear of the problems that other Muslim countries seem to be facing.


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## cvco (Mar 20, 2015)

prof....my post is actually how I feel and how I believe but id say in 20 years much has changed and the pinpoint of it is not the people who never change but the governments attitude towards them. Corruption and crime are rife, inflation is out of control, more laws and rules, less freedom, less tolerance among races, more criticism and ridicule of each other and the government, more jailings and detentions, more deaths in detention, more fear. Mahathir and others blamed the net for all the social ills but id say the net has educated people and forced them to wake up. Now they are waking up and venting pent up anger. Anger at everything and everyone.

For Islam.....hmm...here is the problem with Islam. Malaysia has its own brand and interpretation of Sunni Islam. Read this from just yesterday---and Id say its true. Whatever the root of this is, it must have been very quiet 20 years ago, now its on the move.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/malaysia-islam-negative-impact-singapore-110421349.html#

Also, 20 years ago there wasnt ISIS. They just arrested a group of government worker for being ISIS members or helpers. Things are changing.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/civil-servants-among-8-arrested-021530282.html

YES, on the peaceful side Malaysia is a great place. Or....was? Not sure now. Myself, there is much to love here but im getting the jitters and would like to sell our company and migrate.


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

cvco said:


> Not sure now. Myself, there is much to love here but im getting the jitters and would like to sell our company and migrate.


Interesting to follow the two of you as you post on this subject. I'm also an American but married and retired and living here in the Philippines.

Even here in the southern islands things are starting to get more out of hand as time passes.
It is worrisome for us here as this kind of problem with Islam is spreading around the world faster that greased lightening. For the time being, China is the biggest worry for us here but can't count our Islam and or ISIS eventually. Living in a foreign country has real advantages but personal safety sure is not one of them.



Regards

Jet Lag


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## cvco (Mar 20, 2015)

Hi Jet Lag,

Actually, Phils is one place I have been considering but two things bother me, the lack of being able to mail packages cheaply, and the isolation which requires airplane rides to everywhere. If I was there as a tourist wouldnt visa runs become very expensive?

Back to Islam. I talk to old people who were adults at Independence in 1957 and they said at that time there wasnt any race problem, everyone got along. As the Islamic government grew, so did their brand of it and tensions have risen ever since. But its not just the government but the spread of the dark side of Islam and now its going out of control.

Since you are in Phils.................a few years ago I saw a strange looking man in a mall in Kuala Lumpur. Strange green clothes, like military clothes of 500 years ago or something. I walked up and said hello. Turns out he was Abu Sayyaf from Mindanao, in town for AID TALKS with the Malaysians. Really, I asked? He said the government was supporting Abu Sayyaf for the past 20 years. That chat really scared me, and yet this government claims publicly to want to stamp them out.

I dont want to digress from the thread, we can continue in the Phils section. But, yes, its getting to be that for westerners anyway, SE Asia holds less and less allure nowadays and largely dark-side Islam is a factor in it.


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

cvco said:


> Hi Jet Lag,
> 
> Actually, Phils is one place I have been considering but two things bother me, the lack of being able to mail packages cheaply, and the isolation which requires airplane rides to everywhere. If I was there as a tourist wouldnt visa runs become very expensive?
> 
> ...


Thanks for the reply and the related questions. I went ahead and created a copy of this thread on the Philippines page where it can be continued by other members as well. I'll chime in on the new thread in the morning.


Jet


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## prof.ishack (Jul 4, 2014)

Actually I can't disagree completely about the dark side of Islam showing it's ugly head, and race has become a much larger issue in recent years. Twenty years ago it wasn't an issue at all, today there a pockets of KL and elsewhere in Malaysia it's very obvious the Arab influence on the practice of Islam. There has also been a fair amount of immigration of refugees from more fundamentalist Muslim counties such as Somalia into Malaysia. But at the same time I seeing a fair amount of backlash against the Arabization of Islam within the country. Time will tell if the more moderate Muslims in the country will succeed in keeping Malaysia moderate and safe. If the moderates fail and Malaysia does start down that path there will be serious economic ramifications and almost nobody here wants that. The country depends on western investment and jobs, and without that the economy will collapse.


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## cvco (Mar 20, 2015)

Ishack, thats pretty much my take on it too. Problem is, how outsiders see it, whats logical or rational to us, bears little resemblance to what happens here. Everyday we see things that defy logic. (thats not to criticize you at all, just saying).

Way I see it, Malaysia is constantly torn between wanting money and upholding Islam. How can someone steal 2.6 billion and then claim to be Islamic? How can you run a country and make a decision that favors Chinese while going against the Muslims you expect to support you? How can you have a British Constitution but not burn it because it was made by infidels? How can you lead a luxury life when Islam says to be quiet and humble and simple? Excess in anything is haram. List goes on. There is a constant delicate tip-toeing on a tightrope here because whatever happens for one group infuriates the other groups.

The dark side Im talking about is ISIS and any other extreme view, and that view also includes locals who think all non-muslims should clear out. I accept that there is little, if any, local culture because Malays get their culture from the Arabs and when you talk to them long enough you will see they are more arabic than malay. You see this happen when they are somehow pushed up against the wall about something, then the arab in them alights strongly.

I know scores of Malay muslims who just live their life, have no strong point of view, just are pretty simple people. But as you say, the imports are telling people they are not muslim enough; they are too moderate; they have to fight back because the Quran says so. This promotes the dark side and eventually i predict civil unrest as ISIS develops and at the same time the poor Malays want their share from the rich Malays.

Yet in all this the government is largely quiet because its torn. They dont want to go against "brothers and sisters" but they dont want anything to interfere in their money, wealth and economic plans either. This is the tug of war they are in.

This is very complicated. But id say its not so simple to say that money conquers all, that the press for wealth means nothing else will matter or get in the way. Its in the way right now and its not going away. The pressure among darksiders is definitely growing and the government doesnt actually stop it. Again, how can it look a brother or sister in the face and tell them they are wrong? It cant because they are not wrong, hence the powder keg growing. I M H O.


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