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By Mihar Dias (C) Copyright January 2023
We are proud of Michelle Yeoh for bringing home a first ever Golden Globe from Hollywood with her lead role in "Everything Everywhere All at Once".
At week later the Taliban praised PAS president Hadi Awang as an “insightful” and “experienced” leader in diplomacy and Islamic academia.
These two international recognitions symbolically represent how our country continues to evolve while being pulled apart by secular forces on one end and the more religious factions on the other side of the spectrum. Malaysians are everything and everywhere all at once with Michelle recognised as a superstar of the film world in Hollywood, while Hadi as a roving ambassador to the Islamic nations has won recognition from the Taliban controlled new Islamic state of Afghanistan.
Michelle represents the many hidden talents that we have to offer to the world but yet remain undiscovered. She is an inspiration to the younger generation as a role model of everything that one wants to be in the film industry or any other profession the world has to offer. All a young person needs to succeed in life is work hard and someday you'll get to where you want to be!
But in the more religious segment of our society, movies, music and modernity are the way of the world that often distracts a person from his devotion to and faith in God. For the more religious and less worldly, Hollywood ought not to be the focal point of the faithful. It is in fact a place that is the antithesis for the more religious and conservative people in this country.
To the faithful whose life is devoted to God, awards like the Golden Globe or an Oscar at the Academy Awards is unimportant. Some may not even know who Michelle Yeoh is or what she does.
But what does it matter to someone whose life long aspiration is to be of service to his own faith and attain a place in heaven as a reward in the next world.
In sum, Malaysia is everything to everyone because we live under the same skies but we do not necessarily have to aspire to be Michelle Yeoh or Hadi Awang rolled into one.
However, you may still appreciate Michelle for her Golden Globe and possibly an Oscar but at the same time ponder where Hadi Awang and his brethren may get their internationally recognised awards next.
Mihar Dias is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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