JULY 26 — I asked my Muslim friend Johar whether work was particularly tough during the month of Ramadan.

He was somewhat puzzled: “Tough? Any difference?”

Johar is the manager of a restaurant I frequent for my breakfast. His passion for his work and amiability has built up a good rapport between him and his customers.

“What I was trying to say is that now is the fasting month but you still have to entertain your customers, sometimes helping to prepare food inside the kitchen.Won’t that contravene your religion?”

He replied: “That is my job. As for myself, I am still fasting.”

I was worried he would misunderstand me, so I quickly clarified that I felt uneasy having him serve me food during the fasting month.

Much more relaxed now, Johar said: “So long as we don’t take the food, there isn’t any problem serving food to other people. My religious teacher told me, if we are holding food in our hands but deep inside us there is no desire for it, our heart is still sincere and pure.”

It appeared that I had acted overzealously.

“It doesn’t matter. Muslims must refrain from food during daytime in Ramadan but you non-Muslims can still enjoy your food. This is very normal, and we all have our own ways of living.”

Looking at him, I really felt he was such a lovely guy.

Johar is no religious cleric, no profound doctrines and morals. He is just an ordinary Muslim that upholds Malaysians’ ways of living.

He never grumbles about his job throughout Ramadan. Instead, he willingly bears his job responsibility and respects the needs of his customers.

That dialogue with Johar actually took place during Ramadan a couple of years ago.

From what he told me, I came to understand the more open and pragmatic face of Islam. Muslims are required to refrain from food during the fasting month, but they would never interfere in the dietary needs of non-Muslims. Moreover, Muslims can also serve food to their customers during Ramadan.

This is part of the value of Malaysia’s diversity. People embracing different religions have their own beliefs and ways of living, but they will never impose the same onto other people.

The recent incident at a Sungai Buloh school has triggered powerful backlash in our society. Many Muslims also feel it is inappropriate for the school authorities to come up with such a ruling, thinking that such a move has violated the most fundamental mutual respect among people of different religions in this country.

In a diverse and open society, everyone must respect the fasting of Muslims while the dietary needs of non-Muslims must also be equally respected.

We don’t care whether the school authorities have explained how clean and hygienic the changing room is, but it remains whether their intention has been that clean.

When a group of students is made to take their lunch in a changing room, it is as if to imply that their way of living is unclean or inappropriate such that their action has to be shielded from public vision.

The school facilities are open premises which can be used by any student, Muslim or non-Muslim.

The point with putting non-Muslims in the changing room for lunch is not so much about the hygiene level of the changing room, but the haughty attitude that has distorted the meaning of cultural diversity.

The shift in attitude not merely affects a school, but could expand to influence the entire nation.

The two opposing attitudes of restaurant manager Johar and the school principal are in essence impacting the future of this nation. — mysinchew.com

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.