I
don’t really plan when I shop for books, sometimes I would just pick books
randomly based on my instincts, and this is one of the books that I bought
randomly and I don’t regret buying it. I love to explore the Malaysian authors
section of English books and that was how I found this book. This book consists
of collection of essays written by young Malaysians studying abroad and it was
published in 2018. As the book promo
says, 24 universities. 7 countries. 1 hope. These
are the voices of young Malaysians all over the world--penning down their dreams,
fears, concerns, aspirations, and hope to our nation, our home. This book
actually won 3rd prize (non-fiction category) in the
Readers Choice Award 2018!
But I’m not
going to comment about the technical or literature aspects of it, instead I
will talk about how the contents make me think about a lot of things especially
about our beloved country, Malaysia. Interestingly the essays in this book are
written by authors of different Malaysian ethnicity and races, so there are
many views expressed in this book that might be a little bit intimidating. For example,
they talk about ‘Ketuanan Melayu’, something taboo and can be considered hot
button for the Malays. They also talk about equal rights and meritocracy. Why this book
appeals to me is because I don’t have non-Muslim Malaysian close friends. I
went to a Malay kampung primary school, and then I went to Islamic high school.
Then I got enrolled in Islamic university, got a job in Malay dominated work
place but Alhamdulillah I got to experience living in a non Muslim country for
several years, and I have gained some non Muslim close friends, but they are
not Malaysians. So some of the views of Malaysian non Muslims is quite hard for
me to accept at first.
Again I want
to stress that I’m not about discussing which view is right or wrong. But I
want to emphasize the idea of staying calm when you are presented with views
that you don’t agree with. It can’t be denied that interracial relationship in
Malaysia is civil enough yet it’s far from perfect. There are many hidden
frustrations and misunderstandings. So I believe more honest and proper
engagement and interactions are needed. On social media, there are so many
negativities, people are so easily triggered when it comes to race issues. I
would like share something that I once heard on Ikimfm radio. A speaker shared
his experience replying to a Facebook post during the fasting month by a
non-Muslim Malaysian.
The post is something like this, “Hey, I want to break
fast with bak kut teh (pork-based dish)”
The post was definitely provocative
and it enraged a lot of Muslims, they replied to him angrily and it just made
the non Muslim guy becoming more provocative.
So the radio speaker tried
replying to him calmly like this,
“Hi, we can’t break fast with pork. But how
about we break fast together and I will treat you.”
The non
Muslim guy was so impressed with the speaker’s reply, especially the speaker’s
profile picture definitely looks like an ustaz.
So he replied, “this is the
first time someone like you talk to me this way. How about this, let me treat
you instead at a halal restaurant.”
So you see being calm really helps in
resolving the matter. Of course we can’t allow people to condemn our religion,
but first of all we have to stay calm and listen. Try to talk reason first. If
all fails, then take firm action, report to authorities. But don’t curse, don’t
use harsh words, don’t condemn their belief in making our points across. As
Stephen Covey said, seek first to understand, then to be understood.
There are 2 types of da’wah: da’wah bil lisan da’wah bil hal. with
words and through actions. I personally believe that da’wah bil hal is more
effective. I had lived with a non Muslim housemate for more than a year. Yes,
we talked about religion, culture but most of the times I just tried to be a
good friend, practising Islam and introduced her to the Muslim community. One
day she told me, after living with you I think you have shown a good example of
a good Muslim. I’m not telling this story to show off, rather I want to share a
testimony of the effectiveness of da’wah bil hal. If they like your character,
they will surely listen to whatever you say insya Allah. Whether they accept
Islam, that’s another story. But first, you have given them a good image of
islam.
Of course, there are
extremists in every group, race and religion. But most of us are just normal
people who want to live in peace. Just assume that they are normal people first, and they turn out to be difficult to handle with, resort to stricter measures. Let us together try to spread the words of
Allah by embodying the real teachings of Islam not just ritually, but in every
aspect of life. Be honest, work hard, be punctual, don’t throw rubbish
everywhere, drive safely on the road, take care of the environment. All these
may sound trivial, but that’s what Islam is all about, integrity in everything.
Of course don’t forget, keep calm.