Beyond The Religion Barrier

FOR a long time, I was under the impression that Muslims would never step into a place of worship of other religions but I was proved wrong recently on a visit to Thailand, Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

At the oldest and most famous temple there, the A Ma Temple dedicated to the goddess Machu (the patron saint of fishermen), I stepped aside to give space to a tudung-clad Muslim woman who was posing for pictures with her family members and friends in front of the A Ma altar.

I was naturally very surprised and wondered why she would want to take a picture in front of a religious idol.

In Kowloon, I was startled to see a Middle-Eastern Muslim man in a skull cap praying on a mat in the compound of a Guanyin temple.

I was so excited I even secretly took pictures of him prostrating on the floor. I thought it was a rare shot. Where would you get pictures of a Muslim praying in the compound of a Chinese temple?

I found it even more fascinating when he got up after he had finished praying and walked over to chat with the guard of the temple.

In my heart, he was a fine example of a Muslim because he could put religion aside and make friends with non-Muslims.

At the Taipei Taoyuan International Airport, I found that interfaith was a huge success in Taiwan. There were places of worship for Muslims, Christians and Buddhists at the airport, located next to each other. These were simple rooms no larger the surau in Malaysia.

All these set me thinking and wondering what’s the brouhaha over race and religion in our country right now? It shouldn’t be happening in a country that was built by all the races.