Dec 13 ― Although the first thing I saw while watching The Fast and The Furious was the blue Nissan Skyline, it didn’t take long for me to pick up on the heartthrob that was Paul Walker. He was good-looking, exuded rugged machismo and was amazing at handling a nitrous-oxide powered vehicle. What more could a young girl ask for?

Tragically, Walker passed away on November 30 in a fiery car accident. The world, and Malaysians, mourned his death.

However, as is the case with foreign celebrity deaths, dazed and confused social networkers also came out in droves. The typical Muslims-aren’t-supposed-to-say-rest-in-peace (RIP) argument cropped up, and was shared and retweeted by the dozens.

As with any argument, there are always those from the other side giving their point of view as well. In this case, I stand firmly on the other side. I don’t see the need to emphasise so much on the RIP issue because I believe that in a matter like this, it all lies in one’s nawaitu (intention) and interpretation.

My stand here is based on logic and if I am wrong, I shall stand corrected. The way I see it, RIP has become a reaction of respect in responding to someone’s death. Therefore, I do not see the point of linking it to the origin of the phrase and how it was initially meant as a prayer for departed Catholics.

In one such Twitter retweet, I found this argument with the full-length version of the prayer: “May his soul and the souls of all the departed faithful by God’s mercy rest in peace”. The argument stated that because of the Catholic prayer, as Muslims, we should not say RIP to non-Muslims who have passed away.

But as I mentioned earlier, RIP has become more of a socially acceptable form of condolence, which brings back the question of intention and interpretation.

I am a Muslim, and when I wished for Walker to rest in peace, I was not according him a Catholic prayer. It just meant that I wished him well, wherever his soul may end up.

Why? Because I am only human. I am not God, and I do not know where his soul will go. Even if, to my knowledge, he is not a Muslim, I do not have the luxury of knowing whether he will go to heaven or hell. I believe that is in the hands of Allah, and I am not privy to that information. But today, with access to social network, it has become easy for people, no matter how pious or otherwise they may be, to play God.

Another common scenario when it comes to the death of foreign celebrities is the number of comparisons to those dying in Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Iran, etc. Local celebrity Wardina Safiyyah made a photo collage of Walker and a few dead children and posted it on her Instagram account.

I commented that I failed to see the significance of what she uploaded. She did not reply, of course. However, the very next day, the photo was gone. Deleted without an explanation.

To me, it was highly irresponsible for her to use Walker in that manner, comparing the attention paid to him to the children dying in wars around the world. Walker did not ask for people to adore him. He was just an actor doing his job.

So why would Wardina, a person who wants to portray an Islamic image to the world, do something as callous as that? To delete the photo without even offering an apology was just plain ridiculous.

All said and done, I hope Malaysians can be more tolerant and understanding in the future, instead of being judgmental in the name of trying to be religious.

To Walker, drive that Skyline wherever you may be. The Fast and The Furious will never be the same again.

Farah Harith is an assitant news editor of The Malay Mail. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @farahharith

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