Impressions of a Malaysian Muslim Guest Speaker Living in Japan on Japanese University Students

This study examined the impact of a speech by a female Malaysian Muslim guest speaker on Japanese university students. The study examined how the perceived image of Malaysia and Muslims as “radical, solitary, and scary” changed after hearing a speech about Muslims in Japan. A Malaysian Muslim was invited as a guest speaker in an introductory “Dounyuu Kougi” Lecture at a medium-sized private university in western Japan. The speaker gave a lecture on Malaysian culture, religion, education, and life in Japan as a Muslim. After the lecture, two questionnaires were administered to the 95 students: a pre-lecture Likert-scale questionnaire and a semi-structured questionnaire. Qualitative data analysis categorized the responses into: “Japanese students’ stereotypes and prejudice toward Malaysian culture and Muslims,” “Japanese students’ past knowledge of Malaysian culture and Muslims,” and “Japanese students’ interest in learning more about Malaysian language, culture, and religion.” After transcribing the comments, the student data were further classified using Milton J Bennett’s model of intercultural sensitivity development, DMIS (1986,2011,2013). The survey results showed that Japanese students’ attitudes toward foreigners and other cultures improved.