As Malaysia is a melting pot of all sorts of religions and races, it is always nice to hear stories of how some people have tried to help accommodate and embraced others.
In a similar kind of case, a Chinese couple has built a surau in their shop to make it easier for mall visitors and their workers to pray!
The couple who runs a shop selling toys and baby items located in Pandan Kapital, Pandan Indah, Kuala Lumpur has provided a surau for men and women complete with a place to take ablutions to facilitate customers and people who visit the mall to perform prayers.
Lee Chee Win and Yong Siew Ching told mStar that the surau was built 13 years ago to help make it more convenient for their workers to perform their prayers without having to go far.
After it had captured the attention of Malaysians, they then opened it for public use.
Lee who has been running the business there since 2000 said, “Of course, I am happy that the surau we built can be used by more people and I am grateful to be able to help Muslims pray when the time comes.”
He explained that before it was a surau, it was originally a place to display goods for sale, but they decided to change it into two rooms to house the surau for men and women.
It can accommodate 2 to 3 people at a time and Lee said that he also built a place to take ablution as well as put a shower curtain to protect the aurat of women.
“3 years ago, I also changed the floor from carpet to tile so that it is easier to maintain. I also provide prayer equipment such as prayer rugs, cloth and telekung for visitors, ” he added.
Meanwhile, Yong said that what they have done is based on respect and the intention of making it easier for Muslims to perform their prayers.
Adopting a Malay child
Behind the story of the surau, Yong said that she has always made it a point to learn about Islam as she has a Malay adopted child known as Nik Aliza Abdullah who is now 37 years old.
Yong said that she took the woman from Terengganu as an adopted child 20 years ago as she lived alone in Kuala Lumpur.
“Nik Aliza used to work with me when she first came to Kuala Lumpur. She is very nice and I felt sorry when I see her living alone in this big city.”
“Since then I have taken her as an adopted child and taken care of her until she is now married and has 3 children,” she added.
As Nik Aliza was present in their family lives, she has taught them a lot about Islam and they even fast every time the month of Ramadan comes.
In fact, Nik Aliza’s 3 children are also taken care of by her and she never considered her grandchildren as an outsider.
“I love them like my own grandchildren and they are very close to our family. All 3 of them are fluent in Mandarin and Hakka.”
“I have never looked at religion or racial differences as a problem as love and respect for fellow human beings is much more important,” she said.
Kudos to Lee and Yong for embracing and even trying to accommodate people of different races and religions. This is surely the 1 Malaysia spirit that we should all strive for.
Also read: Malay Lady Who Married Chinese Man Shares How Respectful Her In-Laws Were Towards Her During CNY
