As we all know, yesterday, 13 April, marks the first day of Ramadhan, which is also the first day of the fasting month for our fellow Muslim friends.
Most children in primary school would start learning fast, making it crucial for parents to educate their children, especially those who are not fasting (the non-Muslims), on how to be respectful towards those who are fasting.
This is because some of them would not understand why their Muslim friends are not eating during break time. Believe it or not, this matter was experienced by Datuk Lee Chong Wei’s son, Kingston.
Lee Chong Wei took to his Facebook to share how his son complained that he felt sad that his Muslim friends did not want to eat with him yesterday and that the teachers advised him to eat somewhere else, away from his friends.
"Papa, I ada soalan nak tanya" ditanya anak saya dalam perjalanan dari sekolah tadi."Tadi masa waktu rehat, saya…
Posted by Lee Chong Wei 李宗伟 on Tuesday, April 13, 2021
“Papa, I have a question to ask. During break time, I share food and drinks with my classmates. Two of my good friends, Syihan and Amli did not want to eat. Why?” Kingston asked Lee Chong Wei after school.
Before he could answer his son’s question, Kingston continued to say “I was also advised by the teacher to eat in a corner, away from my friends. What did I do wrong, papa?”
According to Lee Chong Wei, he was stunned and only blamed himself for not teaching his son about the fasting month.
He told his son, “Kingston, you’re not wrong. Your friends have actually started fasting. And the teacher told you to eat by the side as a sign of respect to the friends who were fasting. So, you got to advise your other Indian and Chinese friends to support your Malay friends during this fasting month. Must be tolerant and respectful of each other.”
However, Lee Chong Wei said in his post, his son who is now 8-years-old has started showing a rebellious attitude. Which is why his son replied saying, “Why tolerate? I am eating, it is my problem. They are fasting, it is their problem.”
Before Lee Chong Wei could even express his outrage, his wife, Wong Mew Choo, hit the child on his hands.
“I know she’s good at smashing, but she was really fast this time,” Lee Chong Wei joked.
“If we do not tolerate, you will no longer be Amli and Syihan’s friend. Imagine if you don’t tolerate, when you play with firecrackers during the New Year, you will be scolded. If you don’t be respectful, your Indian friends would not be able to have their procession during Thaipusam. If we don’t respect each other, it’s not possible for the KL shopping malls to have a Christmas tree during Christmas,” Chong Wei told his son.
He added, “We won in football at the Thomas Cup because we were tolerant and united”
With a sorry face, his son’s reply was short, “I want to be good friends with Amli and Syihan”.
He ended his post by saying, “This is the story for today. I, Chong Wei and Mew Choo, as a family, would like to apologize and wish Selamat Berbulan Ramadhan to all Muslims. Have a blessed puasa month.”
Chong Wei’s post garnered over 1,500 shares, 26,000 likes and 700 comments, all of which netizens praised the family for bringing up their kids well.
Kudos to Chong Wei and his wife Mew Choo for educating their son the right way!
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