Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa

I am first and foremost a Muslim! Who was born a Malay and who is proud of her Malaysian Malay heritage and language but prefers to talk and write in English if she can. 

No, I am not trying to be someone I'm not nor am I degrading the dignity of my culture. For me, it is merely an extension of my personality nor does it have anything to do with the pride of my people. 

If you were to tell me that the Malay language would be banished as the current official language of Malaysia and that it would not be compulsory for the younger generation to know the language to be called a Malaysian citizen - believe me, I would instantly go on a riot, bring the news to the parliament and totally make a big deal out it!

However, we have to understand that being proud of your language has nothing to do with how frequent you use it but it has everything to do with how well you know it. To stereotypically judge someone as being unpatriotic just because he/she chooses to speak in English is abominable. 

Sadly, on the other end of the spectrum, there are people who look down upon those who choose to write and speak in Malay. It seems that there is a popular notion that having the ability to speak and write well in English seems to be a cool trend to follow and those who go against the flow will always be viewed as freaks of nature - which I personally think is uncalled for and absolutely stupid!

To put it simply, there is nothing wrong in writing and speaking English if you were born a Malay (or Chinese and Indian for that matter) nor is there anything shameful about impressively writing and speaking in Malay either. The point is to know and be proud of your heritage but at the same time to be comfortable standing in your own shoes and shining your own personality.

I can perfectly write in Malay, when I feel like it! ^_^

Oh and evidently, I would also love to master the Arabic language in the future, insyaAllah!

*cheerios*