(Un)Popular Opinion | In Malaysia, there are three things you can never mention or discuss with the Malays: drugs, pork, and alcohol.
Why? The reason’s simple. According to Islam, all of these things are considered “haram” (unclean/illegal) and should be avoided at all costs – even if it means disparaging or racially profiling those who don’t share the same beliefs or religious values.
For non-Malays in this country, we’ve long been subjected to years of ridicule and shaming in the form of racial slurs such as “Cina babi” and “India kel*ng” or stereotypes such as all Chinese folks are gamblers and treacherous while the Indians are nothing but drunkards and gangsters.
And we were comfortable with it. This was the perfect example of Stockholm Syndrome in full swing — the abuser continues to talk down upon and impose a holier-than-thou attitude on those he/she saw to be engaged in “haram” activities while the abused quietly takes it all in without a whimper and slowly begins to believe that perhaps, those from that religion were the better ones after all.
But that all shattered when this guy came along.
If you haven’t heard about it, Dr Afifi al-Akiti, who currently serves as Privy Councilor to the Perak Sultan and an adviser to the Council of Rulers and Halal Council of Malaysia (MHM), is currently in the limelight after he was filmed patronising a nightclub in Kuala Lumpur.
At first glance, one may think that this is simply a man who’s spending some innocent weekend fun. But upon a closer look, aren’t nightclubs supposed to be shunned by those professing the Islamic faith as it’s a place filled with debauchery and immorality?
And if that isn’t enough to make you burn with indignation, a religious teacher even attempted to cover for Dr Afifi’s grave misdeed by claiming that he was there to distribute pamphlets about Islam!
I don’t know about you, but the clip clearly shows a man who has perhaps forgotten what position he holds or simply does not give two flying kites about air drumming to a rock tune at a place that Malays clearly despise non-Malays for.
Why is it that non-Malays who are simply living their lives are often singled out over the transgressions of religious leaders who fail to practice what they preach?
While I admit that there are plenty of hypocrites in every religion (including mine), this Dr Afifi episode has somehow rubbed me the wrong way after witnessing non-Malays having to endure undeserved hate and scrutiny over setting up businesses that “weaken the fibre of society” when all they’re trying to do is to earn a living.
And before anyone comes to me with the claim that “my religion is better than yours”, I strongly advise them to first remove the plank from their eye before attempting to remove the speck from my eye.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and does not purport to reflect the opinions or views of WeirdKaya.