Boys' Brigade: Malaysia

Figure 1.--These Malaysian Boy's Brigade members are staging to prepare a parade in Penang during 2004. One reader reports that Malay boys like uniforms. Click on the image for another view.

Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country. There is a Christian community as a result of the British colonial period. We note a Boy's Brigade movement in Malaysia, but know little about it at this time. A reader reports on a Brigade rally on Penang Island. The boys wear a blue uniform similar to the New Zealand uniform. The uniform is mostly long sleeves and long trousers. Some boys roll up their sleeves, a few junior boys wear shorts. The rally included both marching and band units. Malaysia appears to be an open society. In many Muslim countries, public events on the streets like this, especially a uniformed group, would be dangerous. We have no information about the ethnic makeup of the Brigade in Malaysia. The country is predomninantkly Malay, but there is a Chinese and Indian minority as well. A reader reports that Malays in particular like uniforms..