Admittedly, the advert doesn't seem to emanate the Ramadan feel that good Raya ads are supposed to do. It was like a case of confused/mixed up cultural identity with a silly storyline. Perhaps the creator(s) were aiming to portray an assimilation of our many cultures into one advert and I don't blame them for trying, after so much press on the 1Malaysia concept and the idea of bringing Malaysians together again. However it was foolish of them not to realise that there would be a backlash from the viewing public. Never meddle too much with race and religion issues - most people are just not matured enough to accept differing opinions about their personal beliefs, and this is when things start getting nasty and personal attacks abound.
Reading the comments below the YouTube video, I was at first amused at how these people were in a war of words with each other and everyone else. I didn't manage to read all 800+ comments but the later ones were mostly personal attacks and not related to the video at all. There were many other comments which showed that there is still a bunch of racists and religion-supremacists in Malaysia. Sad case, but I guess these kinds of people will never become an extinct species. (I would trade one of these humans for the restoration of life of an extinct dodo bird in a heart beat! God forgive me for thinking such thoughts)
I really don't get it why people can't embrace the differences in our cultures. It is this which makes Malaysia unique and interesting - a home to many cultures. I mean, we're actually using that fact to 'market' our country as an ideal tourist destination to the world! So why don't we practice what we preach?
Every culture is important and should not be sidelined just because it belongs to a minority group. And when it comes to religion, I understand that everyone thinks their respective religious beliefs is the best and that it would be a better world if only everyone else would just embrace that religion (this is admirable as their zealousness probably shows the level of faith they have). However, if you really intend to propagate your religious beliefs, wouldn't it be better to win their hearts first, and then win their minds. Let others witness with their own eyes how your beliefs has made you a better person. Let every aspect of your life - your thoughts, your words, your actions - be a testimony of how great your god is. After all, what good is a religion if it doesn't change your heart, and subsequently your life?
I am in no way implying that I am what I've just described above, but I meant it more as an advice to those people who think they have a right to publicly condemn other races and religions and say things like "my religion is the ultimate truth and those who are not of the same faith will never be able to fathom this truth until they die and meet the creator". Honestly, if I was still seeking a faith to believe in, words like those would put me off in an instance. I would not want to believe in a god whose followers speak with arrogance and show no mercy. Although technically, it is not right to blame god for the follies of man, but whether we like it or not, each of us are ambassadors of the god we believe in. The moment we identify ourselves with our faith, our every actions are being meticulously assessed, constantly (be it consciously or unconsciously), by unbelievers (those of other faiths or atheists). Therefore a seemingly harmless move (to you) could stumble someone's walk in faith.
If only people could get it into their thick skulls that the way to win a person over is through their hearts and not by a battle of intellect or forcing them into believing something they have not 'experienced' themselves, then we would have so much more peace in the world!
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