[Tee tiong huat]

No entirely correct -  SG had been a major hub in the region along the martiime Silk Route long before the Europeans came.

In fact, religions from Islam, Buddhism to Hinduism had landed on SG shore centuries ago. None of them consider SG as as some  "Holy land" but more like trading hub and safe place to be. This is the part of pre-Raffles history that we are re-discovering. Perhaps it is this nature of people who came were not overtly religious and nor dogma in their faith that enable them to meet, trade and perhaps live together relatively peacefully...

That all changed when angmoh like Raffles came with different agenda - To divide and conquer.



https://www.nhb.gov.sg/nationalmuseum/-/...lonial.pdf

The arrival of Chinese-Muslim admiral Zheng He,  records suggested trade activities In malaya.

With earliest Islam and Arabs already reach Malaya at that time. Parameswara himself had to convert earlier and adopted Islamic name, Sultan Iskandar Shah. New and due to busy tradings and cultural exchanges with Arabs and Indian. Malaya is cultural link to Ming Empire who entertained relations with countries all across Asia & to Malaya deaingl with many different polities, old Ming China relied on a range of foreign policy instruments, among them granting of special trading rights to huat...arhh.