A recipient of the Excellent Mother Award 2015 was willing to face numerous challenges, including religious differences, to raise a Muslim granddaughter.
Tan Guan Neo @ Nyonya Po Po, 70, of Taman Merdeka, here, said she was willing to shoulder the burden of a mother since her granddaughter, Fahira Nabilah Isham was four months old after her mother, Tan's youngest daughter, Fatin Nasuha Lee, became mentally ill.
"I personally drove her to religious school and Quran class to ensure she received proper religious education.
"I also ensured she performed her other religious obligations including
praying," she said when met at the state-level Mother's Day celebration in Malacca, today.
It was officiated by Malacca Chief Minister Idris Haron and also attended by state Women, Family Development and Welfare Committee chairman Latipah Omar.
The two other award recipients were Rokiah Alwi, 73, and R Kalliany, 59.
'Some tried to send her to an orphanage'
Tan said she and her husband, Lee Nyong Yin, ensured their granddaughter, who is now 19 years old, received proper Islamic religious education and made her fast from the age of five years.
"It had not been easy to raise a grandchild while protecting and fostering her religious faith, as there were many challenges and many sought to disturb (us).
"A village headman once came to my house and told me I was not qualified to look after my Muslim grandchild and told me to send her to an orphanage but I protested," said Tan who has 11 Muslim grandchildren, including Fahira Nabilah.
Tan said she could now breathe a sigh of relief as she had successfully raised her granddaughter, who is now furthering her studies for a Diploma in Computer Science at Universiti Teknologi Mara in Jasin, Malacca.
Fahira Nabilah's two younger siblings were raised by their paternal
grandmother.
Tan, who is now a single parent since the demise of her husband last year, has five daughters, aged 39 to 50 years.
Two other daughters who also embraced Islam helped in raising Fahira Nabilah.
- Bernama
