Malay nationalism (Malay: "Semangat Kebangsaan Melayu" Jawi: سمڠت كبڠساءن ملايو ) refers to the nationalism that focused overwhelmingly on the Malay anticolonial struggle, motivated by the nationalist ideal of creating a "Bangsa Melayu" ("Malay nation") with its central objectives were the advancement and protection of what constitutes the Malayness – religion (Islam), language (Malay), and royalty (Malay rulers). Such pre-occupation is a direct response to the European colonial presence and the influx of foreign migrant population in Malaya since the mid-nineteenth century.