Are malaria and sickle cell anemia related? if so, how?

No & "it depends": Depending on the setting--malaria is an infectious disease affecting red blood cells. Persons with sickle cell usually have more of a less common type of hemoglobin (fetal) to protect themselves when their cells sickle. These cells are not attacked by malaria, so sicklers have some natural protection against malaria.

Yes: The mutation in sickle cell disease causes the red blood cell half-life to be shorter than normal. This can offer some protection against malaria because it disrupts the life cycle of the organism. This disease, along with thalassemias (which also shorten the red blood cell half-life), are prevalent in areas of the world that have high malaria rates.