When I was in primary school, I went to a school called SRK St. Joseph in Johor Bahru. Yes folks! It was a Christian missionary school complete with a church attached! I used to wander the church grounds with all my friends and sometimes, actually often times, we even had the opportunity to enter the hall itself.
I still went to my Pendidikan Islam class with my other fellow Muslim classmates and I knew, even at that young age, that I am a Muslim.
Going to church never confused me. I am a mixed breed child and come from a mixed breed family. So I have many relatives who come from many different race and also religious beliefs. I have been to many a church weddings, like the one between my Uncle Tuck Meng and his wife Aunty Renuka, which was held at that big church in Kelana Jaya by the LDP highway.
I still continue to believe that I am a Muslim and still attend mosque to do my prayers and even read the Quran to understand it better. Going to church never confused me. I have been to church for work even.
Early last year, I produced a documentary with Karim Raslan and we shot a wedding in a church in Keningau, Sabah. The entire production crew, consisting of two cameramen, a host, an assistant producer and producer, were Muslim. Going to church never confused us.
And I can't even count the number of churches I've visited during all my holidays to Europe. That continent is like church central! So maybe we should just ignore that one good doctor who says that Malay Muslims should not visit churches as it means sacrificing the dignity of our religion race and country.
I say it again, I am a mixed breed child and come from a mixed breed family. So I have many relatives who come from many different race and also religious beliefs. And that means, whenever there are large family gatherings, the Muslims in the family will have the opportunity to eat together with the non-Muslims in the family.
And when an occasion like this happens, it is also very likely that the non-Muslims are eating pork while the Muslims wouldn't be eating pork. As far as I know, none of the Muslims in my family have ever been confused of their Muslim beliefs after any of these gatherings where they were surrounded by pork eaters.
Definitely not me.
In fact, there are Hindus in my family too and many of us would be eating beef in full view of them. None of them have ever been confused of their Hindu beliefs. There are also vegetarians in my family too (but they are a minority, and are usually seasonal vegetarians). And come gatherings, everyone will be enjoying meat in front of them.
And guess what? They have never decided to not be vegetarians or get confused of their beliefs that made them decide to be vegetarians anyway.
So maybe we should just ignore that one good doctor who says that Malay Muslims should actually not even look at pork just to be very careful to protect their beliefs.
Oh wait! I've got it! The solution to all this probelem is actually pretty simple. Maybe we should ignore that one good doctor... period!
Zan Azlee
Thu Feb 27 2014
Telefon bimbit dipercayai milik Nur Farah Kartini ditemukan dalam parit
Sebuah telefon bimbit dipercaya milik mangsa, Nur Farah Kartini Abdullah, 25, ditemukan dalam parit, berhampiran lokasi mayat mangsa ditemukan.
Petronas buat bayaran tunai lima peratus jika petroleum didapati dan diperoleh di Terengganu
Petronas hanya membuat pembayaran tunai lima peratus kepada kerajaan negeri Terengganu sekiranya petroleum didapati dan diperoleh di negeri itu.
Tiga pengurus firma guaman direman bantu siasatan kes rasuah
Tiga individu yang merupakan pengurus dan pemilik beberapa firma guaman di Melaka dan Lembah Klang direman SPRM.
TikTok Shop Malaysia cipta kolaborasi cemerlang bersama TEKUN Nasional, berjaya tarik lebih 40,000 usahawan
Sempena Karnival TEKUN Madani Peringkat Pulau Pinang, TikTok Shop Malaysia merekodkan kejayaan memberangsangkan hasil kerjasama dengan TEKUN Nasional dan berjaya menarik lebih dari 40,000 usahawan.
Agong berkenan kurnia biasiswa kepada 14 penuntut IPT
Tujuh penerima biasiswa berkenaan ialah bagi pengajian Doktor Falsafah (PhD), manakala tujuh pada peringkat sarjana (penyelidikan).
AWANI Ringkas: Apa punca kematian Nur Farah Kartini?
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Agong berkenan berangkat ke Mesyuarat Majlis Raja-Raja ke-266
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim berkenan berangkat ke Mesyuarat Majlis Raja-Raja (MRR) ke-266 di Istana Negara hari ini.
Menendez didapati bersalah ke atas 16 pertuduhan rasuah
Senator tertinggi Amerika Syarikat Bob Menendez didapati bersalah ke atas semua 16 pertuduhan jenayah yang dihadapinya dalam perbicaraan rasuah yang mendapat liputan meluas di New York.
Mangsa maut di hotel Bangkok dipercayai diracun
Pihak berkuasa Thailand mengsyaki kematian enam warga asing yang didalam bilik hotel mewah di Bangkok kerana diracun.
Jurucakap polis berkata pada sidang akhbar di hotel Grand Hyatt Erawan di Bangkok berakata bahawa "bahan mencurigakan" ditemui di bahagian bawah cermin mata di dalam bilik hotel.
Jurucakap polis berkata pada sidang akhbar di hotel Grand Hyatt Erawan di Bangkok berakata bahawa "bahan mencurigakan" ditemui di bahagian bawah cermin mata di dalam bilik hotel.
'Danger' hanya salah faham, tak pernah rasa tak selamat di Malaysia - Kim Pan-gon
Maksud perkataan 'danger' yang dikatakan oleh Kim Pan-gon, dalam sidang media sebelum ini hanyalah satu salah faham.