Touching voice text of Chinese kid’s halal concern so sole Muslim classmate can join Children Day’s party

 

AS more Malay parents are enrolling their kids in National-Type Chinese School a.k.a. SJKC these days, it is heart warming to know that sensitive Chinese parents are gradually raising awareness in their children on the ‘special’ dietary needs of their Muslim classmates.

As some schools are celebrating Children’s Day today (Oct 30) ahead of traditional Malaysian Children’s Day on the last Saturday of October (Oct 31), a Malay mother has shared a 35-second voice text of her son’s Chinese classmate enquiring from her if “Daniyal can eat a no pork, no lard pandan jelly”.

If jelly is deemed unsuitable (presumably as it may contain gelatine), the un-named Chinese classmate who spoke decent English has even offered to buy “Oreo” biscuits as a more suitable alternative.

Editor’s Note: Standard Oreo biscuits sold in Malaysia by Mondelez Malaysia are halal-certified and safe for Muslim consumption.

Naturally awe struck with the voice text, the Malay child’s mother who goes by the handle Emylia.(@emyliaeem) promptly expressed gratitude to her son’s Chinese classmate while penning her encounter on Threads as follows:

“Tomorrow is Children’s Day. My kid is in SJKC and he’s the only Malay in his class. Look at my kid’s classmate, he’s only 10 years old! Kudos to his parents for raising such a kind-hearted boy!”

Caring for the minority

The sharing by the poster elicited applause especially from fellow Muslim mothers as evidenced by the 13K likes 299 comments, 1K re-posts and 240 shares after nine hours of posting.

The most popular comments praised the Chinese child’s mother for being physically “beautiful” – a subtle hint that not only has she allowed her kid to use her smart phone to make the WhatsApp voice text but that she is an ‘urban parent’ who is very much exposed to multi-racial interaction.

This aside, more Muslim mothers came forward to share how SJKCs and non-Muslim parents have made great strides to address the halal concern by inculcating awareness in their children from a young age.

“My daughter is in SJKC, too. Children’s Day also. In the parents’ (chat) group, they said their kids keep reminding them to buy halal food so everyone can eat,” revealed mother Syaz Budd (@syazzybudd).

“There’re only four Muslim kids in the class but the Chinese kids are so thoughtful. Even during recess time (when they always share snacks) they’ll tell what brand it is and got halal logo [sic] so my daughter can eat ”

Another mother seconded, alluding to a parent chat group which, too, was also listing down menu for the Children’s Day party.

“One of his friends’ fathers sent something like this so that everyone is aware … In his class, there are (only) three Muslims. ”

Editor’s Note: The bilingual WhatsApp text (in English and Mandarin) read: “Hi parents! Kindly try to get food from Muslim or halal shops, and please ensure no pork is included as we have Muslim kids in class. Thank you for your understanding.”

As one Muslim mother observed, the 1Malaysia spirit is still alive and kicking after all.

“His momma (Chinese boy’s parent) must be so proud! And Daniyal must be such a wonderful friend to have inspired others to be so thoughtful and considerate towards him,” reckoned one Misya Deanna Asyraf (@misya_deanna).

“Good job, mommas!! Raising kind, compassionate children is how we build a better Malaysia for the next generation. Satu Hati, Satu Jiwa, Satu Malaysia. ”

One mother Fatin Zhm (@fatin.zohaimi) summed up best: “As a mother, I feel very grateful if my children are surrounded by friends like this (the Chinese boy)” with another recalling when Chinese kids gave her candy during the fasting month, “they even warned me, ‘when it’s time to eat, open the candy, not now” ”. 

- Focus Malaysia