YOURSAY | 'Seriously, if a leader has integrity, I’d have no issue with his ancestry.'
Indian Muslims and our special receptors
Vijay47: Malaysiakini columnist Fa Abdul, you are really too much. This is one of the funniest articles I have read in a long time, a truly delightful piece.
But what comes through very clearly is that you are proud of your ancestry, you make no apology for it, and do not aspire to be taken as what you are not, unlike many others despite being "namba alle" (I think they are referred to as "nambho alle" only in Kelantan).
Your article raises a question of no small implications - what is the nation now to make of Prime Minister Najib Razak's favourite religious scholar and man for all seasons, the preacher from India Zakir Naik?
Will there be life without Zakir Naik? Is he still recognised as God's gift to salvation, or must he stand at the back of the class with former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad?
And congratulations on being able to go so far back into your family tree. I, in spite of having a receptor almost of your proportions, am unable to do so. I am sure if you tried, you might be able to go even as far back as Obed and Jesse.
Abasir: Thank you Fa Abdul, for daring to expose Indian Muslims who routinely distance themselves from anything and everything associated with the sub-continent.
I know one of these Tamilians has even gone so far as to whisper that his roots are actually in Yemen and not Tamil Nadu... as if that would keep him in better stead with the Malay crowd he runs with.
In any case, these characters should not be used to stereotype the Indian Muslims. I know of one from the Ramanathapuram district who was confident enough to have publicly kept the Bhagavad Gita, the Bible and the Quran as his constant companions, and who was known as the "Missile Man of India" for his stellar work on the development of ballistic missiles and launch vehicle technology, and who became the nation's much-loved president ... all without disavowing his Tamil heritage.
Anonymous #37634848: Fa Abdul, your piece beseeched Umno Indian Muslims not to laugh at Indian ethnicity.
That is true whether you are "kutty or non-kutty", as one MP has poked fun in Parliament. Their inherited DNA shall remain forever within them, no matter what nationality they become later.
Trace your roots as Fa Abdul did, and know thyself. In Malaysia, if we do that, the so-called Malay identity would reveal itself, much like peeling an onion.
David Dass: Does it really matter what race we are? We are whatever we are. We never chose our race. And we should not pretend to be something we are not, for preference, privilege and position. To do that would be sad.
An Indian is someone whose ancestors came from India. A Chinese is someone whose ancestors came from China. A Malay is someone whose ancestors came from Malaya. What about those who came from Indonesia? Are they also considered Malays?
DNA trails do not help. They take us here, there and everywhere. Anthropological studies do help.
The people of the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia have common physiological and cultural traits. There are linguistic similarities. But in Malaysia, all Malays are generally Muslims. Not so in Indonesia and the Philippines. And not even so in Sabah and Sarawak.
And then there are the children of interracial marriages. A child born of an Indian father and a Chinese mother is neither Chinese nor Indian. Is he both? Some lean on one side more than the other.
In the US, the descendants of mixed marriages have been the subject of studies. Many have asked to be considered as a separate 'race' altogether.
The Malay community here is unique in that it accepts as Malays those who assimilate Malay customs, language and are of course, Muslims. But elsewhere, one can be Muslim and still maintain one's distinct ethnic identity.
Indian Muslims are generally passionately Indian, especially about language and some customs. There are Chinese Muslims who remain steadfastly Chinese. In the end, we have to ask a very simple question.
Mahesan: First we need to accept our roots, our heritage and be proud of it. If you pretend to be someone else, to make believe and emulate others, you effectively 'killed' your parents and grandparents.
You are a Tamil first, as per your ancestry. Meanwhile here in Malaysia, we should be all Malaysian first.
Wake up, be honest, and fight for justice, accountability and equality and respect for one another, not fight to be bumiputeras, mamaks or for Umno membership.
Reverse123: There will never be a ‘Malaysian’ race as long as there is discrimination on economic and education grounds benefiting only one single race and/or religion.
Why would my kid attend a ‘national’ school (in Malay) when the choice of tertiary education later on is limited? Or would my kid to join the civil service, police, armed forces where prospects of career advancement favour a single race?
Fair Play: Can a leopard change its spots? Can an Indian or Chinese Muslim Malaysian change his or her racial origin?
Strange, isn't it? You don't hear of Chinese Muslim Malaysians declaring themselves more Malay than their original race, or being ashamed of their origins, except for that aberration of a human being known as university lecturer Ridhuan Tee Abdullah.
Anonymous_1371479815: Islam does not belong to the Malays, anybody can embrace Islam. Are they trying to create a second class of Muslims in Malaysia? We should say no to discrimination in Islam based on one's origins.
HaveAGreatDay: Seriously, if a leader is one of integrity and honesty, I would have no issue if even his ancestry can be traced all the way to Timbuktu.
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