Hadis riwayat
Rasulullah saw. bersabda: "Setiap anak itu dilahirkan dalam keadaan fitrah. Kedua orang tuanyalah yang membuatnya menjadi seorang Yahudi, seorang Nasrani mahupun seorang Majusi."
hot hot topic..i was browsing thru my friend's website when i bumped into her blog.she posted a link to this article..it was quite hard for me to read it as it was not in form of normal document...so..i had to retype the whole thing so that i can share this one to u guys.
i hope this will be a great lesson to us.certain parents do not take Islam seriously and they just abandoned the Islamic values and culture..perhaps,mostly they preferred the Ang Mohs culture.haiyyah......apa nak jadi..ni lah nama nye..dunia sudah kiamat..nauzubilllahi min zalik..
praise to Allah the most Gracious and most Merciful.please protect us from any ma'siyyah.ameen ya rabb.
ok guys.ready for the article?it's gonna be looong~so just bear with it k? =P
so here it goes..
GMagazine, Feb 2009....
Kyle Immanuel Khairudin and Joanna Chew, both 40, met while working in a hotel some 15 years ago. As colleagues, they'd occasionally meet up for lunch but the chemistry between them was a slow and gradual one which only took off after Joanna left the company.
In the early days of their courtship, Joanna's parents expressed some apprehension over her Malay boyfriend. She recalled, "My parents were a little shocked at first and they were showing some negative vibes. They couldn't understand why can't i get a Chinese boyfriend. They think that once i marry a Malay, i won't have a coffin when i die and my husband's going to have four wives."
Kyle's family, on the other hand, turned out to be a liberal and atypical Malay household. His father, having worked in Europe, was open to the subject of race and religion. In fact, many of Kyle's siblings are either Catholics or Christians, and their spouses belong to other ethnic backgrounds. Kyle himself studied in Mission School and took Chinese as a second language.
Luckily for this pair of lovebirds, it didn't take long for Joanna's parents to accept that their daughter was going to marry a non-Chinese. "First of all, Kyle knows how to speak the language so there's no communication barrier. In fact, after the initial period of doubt, i think they now love him more that they loved me!" she chuckled.
"No matter how much we love each other, if we don't get along with our in-laws and accept each other's cultures and beliefs, there's no point in getting married," Kyle said, "There has to be an equal amount of respect from both sides and we have to give each other space."
Making it Official
In 1996, after dating for two years, the couple registered their marriage. In 1998, they held their customary wedding - yes, both a Chinese banquet and a Malay lunch reception. Coming from a Cantonese background, it was customary for the groom to present Joanna's family with a suckling pig. This was naturally posed some challenges for Kyle but the understanding from Joanna's family ensured that the process was a painless and straightforward one.
"Instead of physically delivering the suckling pig to my house, which would be quite disrespectful towards his parents, Kyle gave the money to my mother to prepare the rituals and buy whatever needed to be bought," Joanna explained.
And then of course, there was the common question from friends and family if Joanna would have to convert after getting married. "I have to keep repeating myself like a broken record that no, I'm not converting." Joanna said, and her husband added, "The perception in Singapore needs to change. Many people assume that just because I'm Malay, i must be Muslim, but I'm not."
Having been a freethinker most of his life, Kyle took his time deciding which religion to embrace. At present, he is undergoing the RCIA process in CTK, but according to Joanna, who was baptised four years earlier, Kyle has always been "more Catholic" than her - being particular about dressing well and showing reverence at mass - through habits which were cultivated from his school-going days.
And Then, There Were Three
The latest addition to this half-Chinese half-Malay is Jacob Ashley Khairudin Hai Jie, a "Malaynese", as his parents affectionately call him.
"We wanted a name which both sides of the family can acknowledge and recognise," shared Joanna, "Not that my parents-in-law demanded for it, but we just felt it would be nice to pick a name that they can associate with. The name 'Jacob' came to mind because of its Catholic and Islamic roots, and incidentally,it was also his paternal great grandfather's name."
With his unique name and distinctive skin tone, it's not difficult to tell that this Alter Server has some mixed blood in his genes. However, being 'mixed' has its own set of problems. The teacher in school once thought that Jacob was going through identity crisis. His classmates too, quizzed him with many questions.
"My classmates always ask me why I eat pork when I'm half-Malay," said the sociable and outspoken boy who, like his father, is taking Chinese in school. Evidently tired of the incessant queries, Jacob has formulated an answer that's short and sweet, "I just tell them that I'm Catholic."
When asked if he feels special and different from his peers, this nine-year-old simply shook his head and replied that everyone's special.
Faith's The Answer
Indeed, faith seems to be the gel that keeps this family together. The trio can be spotted in church on Sundays participating in activities with the Catechesis of Good Shepherd; getting their hands dirty doing art and craft while learning more about the Bible.
With Jacob undergoing the Family Integrated Religious Education (FIRE) programme and Kyle enrolled in RCIA, this family continues its unique evolution and builds a foundation that is rooted in the Catholic way of life.
Theirs is a story of fate and faith. "It's fate because both of us could have married someone else, and faith because we both embrace similar beliefs and religion," Joanna concluded.
so....wat do you guys think?
hmmm...
nauzubillahi min zalik
mudah-mudahan dijauhkan
.::ladyE::.
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