Common sense has slowly been taking a back seat over the last few years, as people get hysterical over the most ridiculous things.
FOR a country that loves having laws to govern everyone’s behaviour, we are very peculiar about ensuring that people follow them.
For some people, we bring the full force of the law to not only punish them but to also set as an “example” to others.
For others, we sometimes wilfully ignore the law and let them do what they want.
Then there are the people who ignore court orders because they say it conflicts with some other law. Why they don’t get charged with contempt of court, I don’t know, but I don’t have to be a lawyer to think this is weird.
Then there are people who stretch laws to mean and do other things.
Like assuming that fathers are the only parents of a child and therefore what they say goes. (To the students to whom I was explaining what gender discrimination means today, there’s your example.)
Additionally there are people who make things up because it’s a law that only exists in their head.
A Muslim parent whose child goes to a Chinese school talked about how it was not enough for the religious studies teacher that there is halal food available in the canteen, but that the Muslim kids had to sit apart from their non-Muslim friends as well.
Does she think that non-halal food can be breathed in?
Some people will undoubtedly say that children have a habit of sharing food and utensils so some may inadvertently eat some non-halal food.
But of course sharing even all-halal food isn’t very hygienic either and is something parents should teach their children not to do.
Thinking about this story, I realise how common sense has slowly been taking a back seat over the last few years.
Some people can really get hysterical over the most ridiculous things.
The unnecessary hoo-ha over the eventually false story of pig DNA in chocolate comes to mind.
Then of course there is the obsession with the cross appearing everywhere.
Apparently if you live in a house where there is something that looks like a crucifix on the roof, you will change your faith as easily as you change your underwear.
It never ceases to amuse me how, while Muslims find it so difficult to convert anyone else, all it takes to convert a Muslim to some other religion is the sight of a crucifix, a statue, hearing a song, drinking some water and even, as I was once privileged to be told, looking into the eyes of the Pope.
Our faith is a delicate thing, which we hang on to by the thinnest wisp of a thread, vulnerable to whatever “infidel” breeze might blow our way.
As it happens, I spent 12 years in a Convent school where there were crucifixes everywhere including a giant one on the roof of the school.
Not a single one of the Muslim girls who studied there has left the faith. But maybe our generation are stronger than the people today.
I don’t understand why we are not ashamed to admit our faith is weak, and that we should constantly protect it.
Other people don’t seem to have the same problem.
I talk to young foreigners about the practice of Islam in Malaysia very often and, as far as I know, none have converted yet.
I may have dispelled some stereotypes about Muslims however, particularly the one about us having no sense of humour.
Logic is not our strong point either.
I saw a video where a uniformed man was briefing some academics on how to spot terrorists.
He talked about their distorted beliefs about religion and their literal reading of the Quran.
I thought he was doing a fair job until he decided to give some examples of people to be wary of.
All of a sudden, he cited some of the most progressive people in the country as those most dangerous.
The sheer illogicality was breathtaking. I think even the terrorists would be puzzled, because the very people he mentioned in the same breath as terrorist ideology are not exactly popular with the angry, head-chopping, bearded crowd either.
The people wreaking havoc in Syria these days don’t believe much in women’s rights, for example.
So does it make sense to label women’s rights advocates as terrorists?
But maybe the illogicality and nonsense are deliberate. Our people tend to look up to those in authority so perhaps when they say that black is now actually white, and good is now bad, we will simply believe it.
That approach assumes that our people are all mildly intelligent, of course, and have shaky values to begin with. But it seems to work.
Maybe ultimately that’s the only thing about how we are governed that makes sense.
FOR a country that loves having laws to govern everyone’s behaviour, we are very peculiar about ensuring that people follow them.
For some people, we bring the full force of the law to not only punish them but to also set as an “example” to others.
For others, we sometimes wilfully ignore the law and let them do what they want.
Then there are the people who ignore court orders because they say it conflicts with some other law. Why they don’t get charged with contempt of court, I don’t know, but I don’t have to be a lawyer to think this is weird.
Then there are people who stretch laws to mean and do other things.
Like assuming that fathers are the only parents of a child and therefore what they say goes. (To the students to whom I was explaining what gender discrimination means today, there’s your example.)
Additionally there are people who make things up because it’s a law that only exists in their head.
A Muslim parent whose child goes to a Chinese school talked about how it was not enough for the religious studies teacher that there is halal food available in the canteen, but that the Muslim kids had to sit apart from their non-Muslim friends as well.
Does she think that non-halal food can be breathed in?
Some people will undoubtedly say that children have a habit of sharing food and utensils so some may inadvertently eat some non-halal food.
But of course sharing even all-halal food isn’t very hygienic either and is something parents should teach their children not to do.
Thinking about this story, I realise how common sense has slowly been taking a back seat over the last few years.
Some people can really get hysterical over the most ridiculous things.
The unnecessary hoo-ha over the eventually false story of pig DNA in chocolate comes to mind.
Then of course there is the obsession with the cross appearing everywhere.
Apparently if you live in a house where there is something that looks like a crucifix on the roof, you will change your faith as easily as you change your underwear.
It never ceases to amuse me how, while Muslims find it so difficult to convert anyone else, all it takes to convert a Muslim to some other religion is the sight of a crucifix, a statue, hearing a song, drinking some water and even, as I was once privileged to be told, looking into the eyes of the Pope.
Our faith is a delicate thing, which we hang on to by the thinnest wisp of a thread, vulnerable to whatever “infidel” breeze might blow our way.
As it happens, I spent 12 years in a Convent school where there were crucifixes everywhere including a giant one on the roof of the school.
Not a single one of the Muslim girls who studied there has left the faith. But maybe our generation are stronger than the people today.
I don’t understand why we are not ashamed to admit our faith is weak, and that we should constantly protect it.
Other people don’t seem to have the same problem.
I talk to young foreigners about the practice of Islam in Malaysia very often and, as far as I know, none have converted yet.
I may have dispelled some stereotypes about Muslims however, particularly the one about us having no sense of humour.
Logic is not our strong point either.
I saw a video where a uniformed man was briefing some academics on how to spot terrorists.
He talked about their distorted beliefs about religion and their literal reading of the Quran.
I thought he was doing a fair job until he decided to give some examples of people to be wary of.
All of a sudden, he cited some of the most progressive people in the country as those most dangerous.
The sheer illogicality was breathtaking. I think even the terrorists would be puzzled, because the very people he mentioned in the same breath as terrorist ideology are not exactly popular with the angry, head-chopping, bearded crowd either.
The people wreaking havoc in Syria these days don’t believe much in women’s rights, for example.
So does it make sense to label women’s rights advocates as terrorists?
But maybe the illogicality and nonsense are deliberate. Our people tend to look up to those in authority so perhaps when they say that black is now actually white, and good is now bad, we will simply believe it.
That approach assumes that our people are all mildly intelligent, of course, and have shaky values to begin with. But it seems to work.
Maybe ultimately that’s the only thing about how we are governed that makes sense.
