I had found some free circulation books and leaflets at the mosque in our vicinity last Tuesday. I took some of them and managed to get two small English books and two small Chinese books about Islam. They are just simple reading stuffs and I had already took many of them when I visit mosques under JAKIM (Malaysian Islamic Development Department) authority. The first book with blue cover is with the title "Prophet Muhammad the Leader of Human."
I don't really take heed on English materials because I know I can get many of them without any problem. So on goes to Malay version of those materials. I'm just concerned on the stuffs in Chinese and if possible Tamil but I guess Muslim Tamil (Indian) community already have strong foundation for religious reading materials since most of them could speak in Malay. Once they arrived in Malaysia old days, they established mosques for their community and religious schools for their kids. They could teach religious studies with Tamil to their younger generation.
I had seen a Muslim Tamil student showing me his Fiqhi (Islamic Jurisprudence) exercise book written in Tamil which is his mother tongue when I attend a tution class for my PMR exam. Tution, a classic belief by most of parents back then that it could help their child excel in exam, hahaha. Back to the issue, how about Muslim Chinese community? Chinese Muslim community are like in no existence in Malaysia although they exist.
I have experience with both Muslim Chinese and Muslim Indians in Malaysia. Muslim Indians don't really have problem with their religious and community activities. But Muslim Chinese in Malaysia do encounter problems. I read some Muslim Chinese blogs and they provides informations about reading materials.
My sister had a Muslim Chinese friend too during our good old days in Cheras. We live in the Sri Sabah flat, the residence of the paupers in Cheras of KL side. Its MCA parliament member was Dato' Seri Chen Zhaihe, I guess. The Muslim Chinese family with the surname Lee whom son was my sister's classmate ran a tea shop in the Cheras Municipal Market. We always had our breakfast and buying drinks there. I don't know whether the shop is still operating or not.
At that time I did not really care about people's religion so I don't know that they are Muslims just like us and also are Cantonese. At that time when I was a kid until my youth time, I wasn't really sure about what is my religion, I was leaning toward Buddhism principles without any dependence to God. People use to say about indoctrination process when we were kids, but I guess it doesn't work to me when I was a kid. I found my own path in 2003/2004 when I could think myself and of course with the guidance of Lord God.
At that time I did not really care about people's religion so I don't know that they are Muslims just like us and also are Cantonese. At that time when I was a kid until my youth time, I wasn't really sure about what is my religion, I was leaning toward Buddhism principles without any dependence to God. People use to say about indoctrination process when we were kids, but I guess it doesn't work to me when I was a kid. I found my own path in 2003/2004 when I could think myself and of course with the guidance of Lord God.
I guess I will have to go to Malaysian Muslim Chinese Association or the Islamic Development Department applying the materials for myself too.Maybe I could get some serious materials rather than basic ones because I had read those basic materials given to me by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during my pilgrimage with my mom to Holy Land in the end of 2004. They gave us Indonesian stuffs. We don't speak Indonesian but we speak Northern Malay or Southern Thai dialect interchangeably. I had asked them to give me English version because I can't really understand Indonesian and they don't have Chinese materials with them during our departure to Medina el-Monawwara because they don't expect Chinese speakers to be in majority Malay speakers Malaysian jama'a.
I will save the story when I talk with Muslim brothers and sisters from Gansu and Xinjiang during Hajj season in Holy Land. At that time my fluency in Chinese is not affected like now because now I had mixed with Malay majority speaking people. Until at some point I have to avoid speaking in Chinese in the public as to avoid being a subject of ridicule by Malay fellows in my hostel during my bachelor degree time. People around in the Holy Land like those from India and Pakistan feel weird seeing that I wear Malaysian wrist band on my hand while others are from China and we talked in Chinese.
May Allah forgive us our sins either it is intentional or unintentional. Bless us O Lord of Universe grant us Your love, amin!
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