Saya masuk ke dalam lif, diikuti oleh seorang kanak-kanak perempuan berbangsa India. Umurnya kira-kira 10 tahun. Dia berwajah manis.
"Cantik tudung auntie," dia terlebih dahulu menyapa saya.
Saya baru perasan bahawa saya memakai tudung serkup yang bermanik, sejenis fesyen yang digemari kanak-kanak perempuan sepertinya. Dalam keadaan tergesa-gesa ke klinik, tudung itu saja yang paling memudahkan untuk saya pakai.
"Terima kasih," saya tersenyum padanya.
"Auntie Cina masuk Melayukah?" tiba-tiba dia bertanya. Peramah betul.
"Oh, saya Cina," saya baru teringat bahawa dia pelajar tuisyen Cikgu Susan.
"Tapi auntie pakai itu?" dia memberi isyarat kepada tudung merah jambu yang saya pakai.
"Saya masih Cina, masuk Islam bukan masuk Melayu."
"Oh, jadi suami auntie Melayu?" dia segera membuat kesimpulan.
"Ya, suami saya Melayu."
Dia mengangguk tanda faham sambil melemparkan saya satu senyuman 'Darlie'.
Perbualan pendek kami tamat apabila lif berhenti lalu dia mengucapkan selamat tinggal kepada saya.
Ahhh... bagi 'meenachi' itu, bertudung = Melayu= Islam?
Mungkinkah pada pendapatnya juga:
Tidak bertudung = bukan Melayu = bukan Islam?
Masuk Islam = kahwin orang Melayu
Bagaimanakah tanggapn begitu dibentuk kalau bukan diberitahu oleh orang dewasa dan paparan media?
Assalamualaikum sister,
ReplyDeleteI had a similar situation all the time. The only difference is they thought I have already married to a Malay girl. My Family thought of the same thing too when I told them I reverted.
"Awak ni Cina ke Melayu?"
"Saya Cina la pakcik, cuma saya memang pandai cakap melayu"
"Pakcik nampak awak baca bismillah tadi ingatkan melayu" (eating)
"saya muslim pakcik"
"oh, awak dah masuk Melayu"
"Tak pakcik, saya masih Cina peluk Islam bukan Melayu"
If the the current muslim cant differentiate race and religion, I do not see why the non-muslim can.
I like your blog anyway, very informative.
Assalamualaikum
ReplyDeletefortunately for me, i look a lot like malay. but i'm not.
Wasalam
It's sad, really. It has been more than 5 decades since our country gain independence, yet, we still doesn't know much about our friends of different races and religions.
ReplyDeleteI'm not pointing finger to anyone because it works both ways.
Are the parents at fault or is our education system's the black sheep?
In my humble opinion, neither can claimed to be innocence, that's one thing for sure.
It's almost blasphemous for being ignorant in this age of information technology where our questions can easily be answered within few clicks. :P
Kak, selamat tahun baru China!!! (belated)
ReplyDeleteWaalaikumussalam ahong,azlan, yRZw.., Humyrah,
ReplyDeletehehehe.. I was already asked that BEFORE I reverted,mainly by taxi drivers because I wore baju kurung. There was a taxi driver who complained all the way to my house about the Chinese, only to ask when he saw the red banner in front of my house,"Awak Melayu atau Cina?"
Now it's the other way round.As I wear the tudung I'm asked by the Chinese and Indians most of the time when I speak in Chinese "You're a Chinese?" and get rude stares by Malays who think I show-off when I speak English! Still I'm enjoying myself - it makes me a unique person :D
Azlan, some people think I'm a Kadazan Dusun who reverted to Islam, huhuhu.. or a Malay who has a Chinese mother.I speak Malay with Kedahan slang.
yRZ, I remember how friendly we were during my school days back in 70s and 80s. Most of the problem stems from the reluctance to ask, and the hesitance to explain about one's own religion as most people think they're not religious or knowledgeable enough to explain their religion to others!How many Malays can explain about israk & mikraj to others and how many Chinese can explain about the real significance of Hungry Ghost Festival according to Buddhism?
Humyrah, welcome back! Big angpow for me ehh? hehehee
Me too. I speak malay better than a malay can speak also with kedahan slang like u sister. With no chinese slang at all.
ReplyDeleteThats what you get for having so many Malay friends. Anyway sis Aliya if you don't mind where you stay? My hometown is in Sg Petani but now working in KL (teaching).
That makes the two of us. Hometown Sg Petani too but now staying for temporary at Sunway, Sbrg Jaya.
ReplyDeletesalam..dont worry..no matter who you are and where you are, Allah will always be with you as long as you hold on to your iman and taqwa..
ReplyDeleteislam tidak mengira bangsa..masyarakat kita memang kena ubah persepsi dan pandangan mereka tentang perkara ini..
muslim yang mempunyai pemikiran sempit akan merosakkan agama islam sendiri..kalau zaman Rasulullah dulu, ramai yang memeluk agama islam sebab lihat akhlak n perangai umat islam, tapi sekarang..umat islam sendiri yang menyebabkan non-muslim takut pada agama islam..
so lets try to be the best muslim, so other people can see the real islam from our behaviour.. :)
salam perkenalan!
Salam Sis,
ReplyDeleteSorry, I would like to ask your permission to use this space to get in touch with ahong (the 1st person who commented this blog entry).
Ahong, may I get to know you and may I have your e-mail address please?
Thanks. Wasalam.
Assalamualaikum,
ReplyDeleteSure, just drop me any messages at cheehongz@gmail.com
Assalamualaikum,
ReplyDeleteMwhuahuahuahua ... that was a cute story. I find it frustrating and sad at the same time when non-Muslim Malaysians say Muslim converts are Malays. Malaysians need to re-educated themselves.
As for you being thought a show-off for talking in English, that is another thing I do not understand Malay Malaysians. How are we to learn if we refuse to practice?
I am very much tempted to smack them on the head with a chair. Though I would never do it ... but I can dream no?