PETALING JAYA, Nov 5 — A difference of faith didn’t stop one Malaysian woman from paying her respects to her beloved grandmother.
An East Malaysian blogger known as Cikgu Emmet shared a touching anecdote of how Dayang Rafidah Awang Osman dutifully cleaned the grave of her late Christian relative on All Souls’ Day at a cemetery in Kuching, Sarawak.
“(Dayang Rafidah) was there with her mum and her aunt who were also Muslim, and they got to work cleaning the grave of her grandmother who passed away awhile back.
“They looked a bit awkward as a Muslim family (in a Christian cemetery) but their presence was met with greetings and smiles from other people.
“According to Dayang Rafidah, even though her grandma is not Muslim and her mother is a convert, it does not change the love and affection that she has towards her, even though she has already passed away,” wrote Cikgu Emmet.
The blogger ended the post by calling Dayang Rafidah and her family an example of religious harmony that should be emulated by all Malaysians.
The story was met with an overwhelmingly positive reaction from Facebook users, some who also shared their experience of being in a multi-religious family.
“This is the Sarawak that I love. Even though we are of different religions, we still forge friendly ties with one another,” wrote Anne Phang.
“My mother went through the same thing. Even though she converted to Islam, she never forgets to visit the grave of my grandmother and her younger sibling every year,” said Kathy Awang.
