▁was ▁used ▁in ▁the ▁Mar itime ▁S out heast ▁Asia , ▁to ▁refer ▁to ▁the ▁al ▁par lare ▁de ▁M ala ea ▁( Ital ian ▁for ▁' to ▁speak ▁of ▁Mel aka '). ▁ ▁King ship , ▁and ▁its ▁polity ▁( ker aja an ), ▁was ▁a ▁prominent ▁pill ar ▁of ▁Mal ay ness ▁in ▁the ▁area ▁around ▁the ▁Stra it ▁of ▁Mel aka . ▁Islam ▁was ▁another ▁pill ar ▁because ▁it ▁provided ▁king ship ▁with ▁some ▁of ▁its ▁core ▁values . ▁The ▁commercial ▁di as por a ▁constit uted ▁a ▁group ▁of ▁people ▁outside ▁the ▁Stra it ▁of ▁Mel aka ▁area — B or neo , ▁Mak ass ar ▁and ▁Java — who ▁defined ▁their ▁Mal ay ness ▁primarily ▁in ▁terms ▁of ▁language ▁and ▁custom s , which ▁were ▁the ▁third ▁and ▁fourth ▁accepted ▁pill ars ▁of ▁Mal ay ness , ▁respectively . ▁While ▁Islam ▁was ▁an ▁objective ▁criter ion ▁to ▁define ▁the ▁king ship ▁and ▁his ▁subjects ▁( Mus lim ▁and ▁non - Mus lim s ), ▁anyone ▁who ▁claimed ▁to ▁em brace ▁Islam ▁could ▁be ▁counted ▁as ▁Mal ay . ▁Non - Mus lim s ▁and ▁non - Mal ays ▁could ▁be ▁label led ▁as ▁Malays ▁as ▁long ▁as ▁they ▁spoke ▁and ▁wrote ▁Mal ay ▁and ▁followed ▁a ▁Mal ay ▁way ▁of ▁life , ▁or ▁if ▁they ▁Mas uk ▁Mel ay u ▁— mean ing , ▁don ▁certain ▁clothes , ▁follow ▁certain ▁cul inary ▁practices , ▁and ▁become ▁an ▁integral ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁Mal ay - spe aking ▁trad ing