Mat Dan also known by his Muslim name Mohammad Kareef Daniel Abdullah is an English traveller and host has been lived in Malaysia since 2009. He first settled in Malaysia after his adventures to Kapas Island. He is known for his eloquence speaking Terengganu dialect pretty well. He is also better known in television about his adventures with his friends entitled Haramain Backpackers - Trans Siberian and also hosted Mat Dan Kaki Jalan. In February 2018, he has been officially granted permanent resident status by then the Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who publicly announced his new status at the launch of Expo Terengganu 2018 on Monday. He is married with local Terengganu lass.
Life
Early life
Daniel Tyler was born in Bristol, England on 18 October 1989 as a second child from three siblings. His younger brother is Will Tyler, while his older brother is Joe Tyler. He is the son of Kevin, a businessman, and Nicol Tyler, an administrator.
Emigrant to Malaysia
In 2009, he went on a trip to Thailand and Laos with a friend after completing his A-level. At that time, his friend had suggested that he visit the Perhentian Island. When he got there, he learned about Kapas Island. 10 days after residing in the island, he came to Kapas Island. As long as he was there, he became a volunteer in a chalet. He took care of the reception desk and cleaned the guest room for four months as a retiree before proceeding. He returned to Pulau Kapas in 2010 then settled for over 7 years there on the grounds of the good service of Malaysians and a beautiful place that caused him to remain on the island. There he learned the way of living and the language of the locals with the mastery of the Terengganu dialect which took 3 to 4 years. On 26 February 2018 Tyler received the status of Malaysian Permanent Resident from the then Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister, Dato' Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at the opening of Terengganu Expo 2018 at the compound of the Terengganu Sports Complex.
In January 2013, he convert to Islam with the help from his adopted brother, Zakaria Sulong, and changed his name to Mohammad Kareef Daniel Abdullah.
Family
He engaged and married Nadifa Adnan, a local Malay girl, on 12 March 2017 at his wife's home in Bukit Chendering, Terengganu. He has a son born on 5 May 2018 at 2.7 kilograms at 6.43 pm Malaysian Standard Time at the Salam Specialist Hospital and was named as Muhammad Zayne Danial James Tyler.
Career
, he worked as a radio announcer at Manis FM and hosting a food travelogue programme.
Ambassador
On 22 October 2016, he was appointed as Terengganu State Environmental Ambassador in conjunction with the State Level National State Day at Kerteh by the Malaysian Department of Environment. On September 4, 2019, Mat Dan was selected as the Terengganu Tourism Icon by the Terengganu state government. His appointment was made to enable Mat Dan to promote and strengthen Terengganu to a greater heights, especially in overseas markets such as the United Kingdom and Europe. He said, "From the first day I arrived in Malaysia, I have fallen in love with this country".
