Fear not the big, bad world

A WRITER'S LIFE By DINA ZAMAN (The Star)

IT DOESN’T matter whether it’s local or overseas. Travelling for work or pleasure has afforded me many insights, and I have been privileged to have been given insights by the people I meet.

One doesn’t have to be chatty; just being at ease with the environment is enough.

However, I have noticed that when Malay(sians) travel abroad, whether students or adults, they tend to congregate among themselves and create their own ghettoes. “We’re in a foreign land, we must band together! This is not our culture and religion!”

Nothing wrong with that, I suppose, but doesn’t this stop a person from learning about another culture, and find that we – us and them – share the same values and dreams?

The few press junkets I have been on I see similar behaviour: a group will huddle in a pack and do everything together because they share the same religion and language, while everyone else gets to know everyone else. When they do mingle, it’s superficial.

It’s the same with Malaysian

students. They go all the way to a foreign country and live among themselves.

I know it is unkind but I

always think why bother going abroad for an international experience when you can just at stay home?

It’s a lot cheaper for the Govern-ment and there’s less crisis of faith: you don’t have to worry about halal food and all things haram.

I’m a great believer that if you have iman and deep faith and confidence in yourself, there’s really nothing to worry about.

Your faith and values will carry you far. But, I guess, with some people, that’s not enough.

When I was a graduate student I heard of the problems that other Malaysian students had to face. Petty thefts in their student digs, immoral behaviour among friends, to name a few.

When I suggested to a colleague to move to the graduate hall, she refused. “I’m afraid if I live with the kafirs, my aqidah will songsang (my values will erode).” Okay-lah, I said, you go suffer-lah.

(And to readers who have emailed me to admonish me and said I should be grateful to the NEP for educating me, I’d like to put on record that I’m not a product of the NEP. My studies were funded by a foreign government. Whew. Got that off my chest.)

This is true not only of students, but of the many adults who have gone out to the world and not come back enriched.

I hear of corporate executives, senior ones too, who, when on foreign soil, refuse to venture out of their hotel rooms.

A friend told me about this senior employee who boiled Maggi Mee in his hotel room. The next thing he knew, he had started a small fire in the room. All because he did not trust the food in the hotel restaurant. This happened in Dubai. The Middle East. The food is kosher.

My point is that when we close ourselves to the world, because we fear so much, we miss the good things.

We miss learning about the histories of the world, kafir or not. We lose out on challenging our minds and hearts.

And for us Muslim Malaysians, this is a chance for dakwah too: dakwah is not just about spreading Islam to other countries, but also to exhibit our goodness, our ways and how we live.

Why are we so intent on being negative about The Other?

What can be done to correct this, so we become global citizens?

By becoming less fearful. Remember our history: we come from an interesting lineage. Pirates, traders, missionaries, warring heads of fiefdoms, adventurers, writers, romantics.

The Malaccan dynasty was one of the most fruitful and colourful eras Malaysia ever had. Our ancestors weren’t scared.

They fought back. They used keris, tombaks, canons, guns; and they explored other worlds and enriched us when they came back with stories and trade.

These boys weren’t scared. They charged into the world and returned as heroes.

How do we begin?

Easy. By befriending your neighbour. Yes that Uncle who always wears his toupee lopsided and tries to sell you his latest MLM gimmick.

By learning about your Indian neighbour’s religious rites even though you’re scared of idols. By asking why Muslims don’t eat pork, and why they pray five times a day.

No, that open house does not count. I figure open houses are superficial, as the guests are more concerned about eating and less about establishing relationships. It’s a cultural PR exercise (and it’s also bad for the waist).

Get to know people who do not share your faith but do share the same hopes and dreams. Fall in love with a man of another faith and culture. You’ll discover that you are the same.

It’s as simple as that. Oh yes. Read. Read, read, read as many books as you can. You get to travel the world from your armchair.

I’d like to wish all my readers and detractors a good new year and future. May wealth, health and love be with you.