COMMENT wish to present a different perspective on the birth of Rayani Air that has been painted by Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy as a distasteful effort to polarise our racial and religious divide further.

Although I agree 100 percent with him that there have been many efforts by certain parties to drive us apart as a nation, using religion as the main tool, I totally and unequivocally disagree with his unfair and cutting criticism of husband-and-wife team Ravi Alagendran and Karthiyani Govindan for their entrepreneurial efforts.

Charging this Hindu couple in the same breath as personalities such as Ali Tinju aka Mohd Ali Baharom, Jamal ‘red shirt’ Junos and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, who are notorious for their roles in dividing this nation, is absolutely uncalled for.

Furthermore, asking the couple to act like AirAsia founder Tony Fernandes who mixes cheap fares with sexual appeal in the form of scantily dressed stewardesses says a lot about Ramasamy’s opinion perhaps on the issue of dignity for women.

I have taken flights on Pan Am, TWA, British Airways, Qatar, Emirates, Iran Air, Air India, MAS, Singapore Airlines and yes, even AirAsia. I don’t fly that much overseas or within the country, but I have seen my fair share of stewardesses and sat through flights with wine being served next to me.

As a Muslim who studies Islam directly from the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, and from my reading of his values and attitudes documented in the translated works of Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Madjah and the Sirah Ibn Ishaq, I take these all in stride and smile nicely at the stewardesses and to the passengers, whoever they are.

Islam helps me navigate through life effortlessly and with total understanding in whatever company I am in, especially those from different cultures and different faiths. My attitude in life is that there is so much to learn from our diversities, and this would augment our own personal spiritual awakening.

From where I stand, I salute Ravi and Karthiyani for their effort. Truly, before I read Ramasamy’s article I thought the owners were orthodox Muslims with long jubah and tudung labuh.

To be told that the owners were a pair of Hindus was the last thing I had expected. The couple should be applauded for they had stepped outside of their comfort zone and learnt the culture and values of Muslims and turned that knowledge into a business venture.

As a Muslim, I have seen many efforts by Muslims to prey on the religious ignorance of Muslims and their naivety. I have seen my own relatives spending thousands of ringgit doing unIslamic rituals under the name of Islam to get rid of diseases and mental disorders.

I have also seen Muslim politicians using Islam to gain political mileage by supporting polarisation of our society as well as Muslim clerics selling their faith for promotions and titles in support of these shameful leaders.

I was also shocked to find halal and non-halal trolleys at a shopping complex. (Note: Muslims are strangely religious when it comes to halal food and non-halal food, but seem to be completely naive about supporting Muslim politicians giving bribery/donation).

How can the efforts of this Hindu couple be put in a similar category? Ravi and Karthiyani are providing employment that is dignified to Muslims and also non-Muslims.

A litany of discrimination

I was in Iran Air many years ago when I sat close to a Japanese lady who objected to being covered slightly with a flimsy head scarf throughout the journey as this was a requirement of the airline. She put up a fuss but the stewardess was adamant until finally she sat there sulking and pouting... with the scarf barely covering her whole head.

I had also once listened to the raving of a lady architect complaining that she had to don a tudung to present a building project to the late PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat. To me, this is simply cultural adherence as the saying goes... when in Rome, do as Romans do, etc.

I am absolutely shocked to read that Ramasamy has equated this couple’s idea of a syariah-compliant airline to one for whites only or Buddhists only. What nonsense is this?

Ramasamy is using a standard fear analogy akin to the jihadists and racial extremists that we see abound in Malaysia. What a ridiculous extrapolation. If there is such an airline, let’s see if it will survive beyond its first financial quarter.

I do hope that Ramasamy does not make such comparison again and tarnish the excellent image of his party. He should also be extremely careful in his writing as one could interpret this as having a ‘distaste’ in Islamic culture and thus provide much needed ammunition to Perkasa and Isma in their battle cries against non-Muslims in Malaysia.

I would also like to relate a few anecdotes of ‘discrimination’ against Muslims in Malaysia that I had personally gone through or heard about directly. My wife and I have been turned away from several swimming pools in hotels that prohibit us from donning full attire and tudung because it is ‘unhygienic’.

Well, I have never heard of any outbreak of diseases from being with Muslims in swimming pools but I would never kick up a fuss and just made a mental decision to never come to these kinds of ’apartheid’ hotels. I respect the right of the hotel to make that decision even though it was my right to ask them to deduct my share of using the swimming pool from my room rates. But I never exercised my right and just go to another hotel.

Other incidents involve people complaining to me about their daughters being refused work because they would not wear revealing attires in hospitals and shopping complexes. I just advised the complainants to get their children to work for McDonalds or KFC where the companies respect and understand the cultural and religious dress codes.

With respect for time off for Friday prayers, I have no knowledge as yet but so far no complaints. When a private university scheduled classes between 12pm to 2pm on Fridays, I would just write a polite email to the vice-chancellor and usually this schedule is changed. That Malaysians would do such a thing has me aghast over such ignorance or perhaps ‘disrespect’ of Islam and Muslims in Malaysia.

In conclusion, I wish to say congratulations to Ravi and Karthiyani for a meaningful entrepreneurship effort. To Ramasamy, please do not give Perkasa, Isma or PAS-Hadi any more ammunition to drive this country apart.

And lastly if you do fly, please have an enjoyable time perhaps with AirAsia and their strikingly dressed cabin crew.

Tajuddin did not understand my article

MOHAMAD TAJUDDIN MOHAMAD RASDI is Professor of Architecture at UCSI University, Cheras.