KUALA LUMPUR, May 7 - Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) today reiterated its stand that the Chinese were brought into Malaysia by the British to destroy Malay identity, despite facing a probe for sedition over similar remarks the group made yesterday.

Yesterday, Isma president Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman sparked uproar when he suggested that the influx of Chinese migrants into Tanah Melayu had been “a mistake” and called the country’s second biggest race “invaders”, resulting in calls for the authorities to act against them.

Group deputy president Aminuddin Yahaya claimed that leaders from the predominantly Chinese opposition party, the DAP, had lodged a police report against them as part of a conspiracy to destroy the Malay race dating back to colonial times.

“What is seditious about what he said? He was only stating historical facts..They just want to destroy the Malay identity that is why they have the slogan Malaysia for Malaysians — to create a country of Malaysians with no Malays,” he said in a brief interview with The Malay Mail Online.

Aminuddin said the Chinese should be grateful to the Malays as they were given citizenship “en bloc” in what he claimed was a British tactic to keep the Malays politically weak.

“At that time the Chinese and Indian population in the country surpassed that of the Malays. It is a well-known fact that this was a British strategy to keep the Malays out of the city, trade. It was the divide and rule tactic,” he said.

Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said earlier today that Isma is under police investigation.

Aminuddin said Isma will co-operate with the police on its investigation.

“It is up to the IGP. We are ready to help”.

Continuing his attacks on the Chinese community, Abdullah said yesterday the ethnic group were considered intruders into Malay land, and had been brought by British colonialists to oppress Malays.

The hard-core Islamist group has been raising its public profile over the past one year with its provocative remarks against Malaysia’s racial and religious minorities.

In February, Isma vice-president Muhammad Fauzi Asmuni was investigated for sedition after he allegedly called on Muslims nationwide to be aggressive when defending Islam.

No charges have been made.

The group had previously claimed that Indians and Chinese were brought into the country to weaken the Malay identity and undermine the community’s birthright to Tanah Melayu on the pretext of multiculturalism.