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Thursday, November 4, 2010

Punishment in my home packed food

This issue stirred up the Sarawakian community today. It's so sad that this has come to Sarawak. A land far beyond it's western counterparts in dealing with racial issues. I'm not being racial. Sometimes, I wish I only have a believe and not a race.

St Thomas is the first mission school established in Sarawak in the year 1848 by the Anglican Diocese. After Sarawak released itself from the ruling of Brook, it joined in Malaya and North Borneo to build Malaysia as we know it know. Over the years, this Anglican Mission school allowed not only Anglicans to study in it's grounds but also to everyone else.

I myself was practically borned and raised in a mission school. As far as I'm concerned, it's the best thing that has happened to me. Though under the Catholic Church, it has opened it's doors to people of other believes to come together and have an education. Yes we have people of many different ethnic backgrounds and speaking good English under one roof and mission schools are sought after every parent to send their child in Kuching.

Unlike other government schools we're practically mixed if you would like to say in skin color, ethnic and mother tongue. We have doa and prayers every morning in our school assembly. Other schools usually have a majority of students from a certain background and I don't even think prayer is allowed.

When it comes to sensitivity, it's a two way traffic thing. This poor 10 year old boy was canned because of bringing fried rice and pork sausages. Not drugs.

I remembered when I was still in primary school, my Iban friend was offering the rest of us her nuggets. Then the Malay girl asked if the Iban girls parents play 4D (Lotto) and she said yes. The Malay girl replied "I'm sorry I can't have your nuggets. They might be bought with the Lotto money and that's haram for me". So it just continued with recess and after that a game of fox and mother hen.

In my case, I don't think the little boy did any harm in having his packed food. He knew better not to share it with his Muslim friends. Things like this has to be trained since young. To respect another person. And I know that his friends would know better to not share his food. Isn't it about learning to respect another?

I mean, come on. Even the school canteen sells beef burgers and why isn't it an issue with the Hindus? Because they are minorities? And when you're overseas, you want to stop another person sitting beside you in the cafeteria from eating pork? I don't know where exactly does the respect comes in. They have their rights. I think it trains a person to have respect in a lot of ways and not forgetting stronger.

The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” 
Mark 12:31

3 comments:

Globalized Dayung said...

This is Malaysia that we know now...Where are our rights to become non-Malaysian citizens? 1 cases can lead to another, so we better watch out now!! If not it will be to late for us as minority groups...

Mell L. said...

Well, during my boarding sch in KK, most of my non-Muslims friends will bring their pork mee/rice etc to boarding,but they know better to not announced it to the world. This poor kid just got his bad luck. Poor lil kid.

I met few acquaintances during my school years asking me if I eat pork using the spoon that I offer them to use to share my nasi goreng. And me, I know better to not befriend this people too close. For the sake of their mind-tranquility and my own tranquility. Why mingles with the prejudice right. And not all non-Muslims main 4d,damn it,this people. And not all Muslims are pious. It's individuality.

Mell L. said...

and to add my previous comment, I think they (the prejudice and overly paranoid) should be really afraid to come to overseas because orang putih consume a huge amount of bacon and pork. There!