麻豆约拍

Sarah Joseph, editor of a Muslim lifestyle magazine

聽Growing up, mine was not a particularly religious upbringing. However, my Mum had one commandment. It was written in stone, and there was absolutely no deviating from it: 鈥淭hou shalt not be prejudiced.鈥澛�

My mum would say to us, 鈥渁 person could come to you, bright green with orange spots, and you will treat them with dignity and respect.鈥� I didn鈥檛 realise, until I grew up, how extraordinary her complete lack of racial prejudice was for her generation, indeed for any generation.

This was ingrained in me, and is part of me; which is why I guess, that the Hajj, which is currently taking place, resonates with me so profoundly.

Millions of Muslims are assembled together in one of the world鈥檚 largest gatherings.

The gathering鈥攚hich follows the story of the prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael鈥攁ffirms the oneness of God and the unity of humanity. Symbolised by the fact that pilgrims forego all of their worldly attire, and are all dressed in white, the richest and the poorest cannot be distinguished apart by their apparel. All pilgrims follow the same simple rituals, and at the end, they are all called to gather on Mount Arafat, where it is said that Adam and Eve met after their fall from the garden of paradise.

Mount Arafat is also where the Prophet Muhammad gave his last sermon, during his final Hajj.聽 In that sermon he emphasised the unity of humanity, declaring that there could be no racial superiority, and that 鈥減iety and good action鈥� were the markers of rank amongst people, not their race. Malcolm X, the American civil rights activist, was hugely impacted by the Hajj, giving up his ideas of black supremacy after going on the pilgrimage; noting that every pilgrim regarding of their colour, class, or rank 鈥渁ll snored in the same language.鈥�

Practically speaking, it has never made any sense to me personally to judge a person by the colour of their skin. It鈥檚 literally the result of presence of a pigment called melanin, and says nothing about a person鈥檚 compassion, integrity, and human decency. My mum taught me that, and I am mighty grateful for her lessons. So if you do happen to be bright green with orange spots鈥攜ou鈥檒l be welcome round at our place, anytime.