My Malaysian Affair - Chapter 3

"If Rain is the Blessing of Allah, then Kelantan is Truly Blessed"

The people in the city of Kelantan are so wonderful, the best among those I have met in Malaysia. The Kelantanese are so friendly, and very accepting of a Chinese Muslim. They are so open, and will talk to you without hesitation, either to answer your question, or just to talk about Kelantan, Islam, and Malaysia. One big difference I found in Kelantan, from the rest of Malaysia was that the women (and men) in Kelantan, when I smiled at their children, would smile back and let you play with the child. However I observed that this was more difficult in other states, where the mother is more likely to turn away. The people in Kelantan are just different from many others in Malaysia, many of whom looked upon me with hostility, and found it difficult to accept a Chinese Muslim.

Kelantan, literally "Land of Lightning", is the most Malay state, and also the most Islamic state in Malaysia. It is said that rain is the blessing of Allah. If that is so, then Kelantan, which suffers heavy rain in the monsoon season, is truly blessed. The people are generally religious, and many of the women here choose to dress in jalbab, and wear a long hijab, covering their awrah in a most respectable and practical way. These jalbabs, the uniforms of the schoolgirls in Malaysia and the uniforms of other women working in shops, truly impressed me. It was very nice to see such respectably dressed women in Malaysia, especially where that dress was part of a company uniform. It just shows that a woman can dress properly, covering her awrah, and still look good.

It was with extreme disappointment that I left Kelantan. My hosts invited me to come again at Eid Ul-Fitr time, and I later decided that I would return to see this wonderful city one last time. But my next major stop was Kuala Lumpur. It was rather strange that I had come to Malaysia for two weeks but had not visited Kuala Lumpur. I did not have high expectations of the city, and my experiences in the next nine days did nothing to change my mind. I really did hope at the time, that those nine days will be last nine days I would ever spend in Kuala Lumpur, for many reasons which will become apparent.

Photos - please click thumbnails to see full sized image

Left to right

• Sorry sir, this lane is for 12 items or less - and also it's female only... This was what I had originally come to Keltantan to see
• Kota Bharu's famous central market, housed in a 3 story building in the middle of the city. The whole ground floor of the building is occupied by vendors selling the freshest produce, as crowds of people make their way through the narrow aisles
• Reputable the oldest masjid in Malaysia, this masjid is found near Kota Bharu, having been moved, piece by piece, from it's original location near the coast (it was constantly flooded and thus the decision was made to move the masjid).

(Click images to view in full size)

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