Encounter with a stranger on bus 63.

1 August 2008, Friday night, meeting a girlfriend in Islamic Studies Class, 2 weeks after the "encounter with the Shites cab driver"...

Going from my mother's house, so I am taking bus 63. A dark Chinese man got up the bus from Geylang area and sat beside me. He was sitting close to me, so I adjusted myself, disliked the closeness.

He then spoke to me in Malay... Don't understand what he said, tried hard to figure with my limited Malay...

Why people always speak to me in Malay? Just because I am wearing Muslim's head scarve to cover my hair, it makes me a Malay... misconception of the public that a Muslim is an "unquestionable" Malay... sigh.

Then I heard "Sambayang?" (meaning prayer).
I nodded... since it's close to Ishak prayer at 8.28 pm.

He said: " Belajar?" (meaning learning/ going to class)
I nodded... since I was meeting friend in class.

He said: " xxxx xxxx xxx xx..."
Oh dear, don't understand... "Err, you can speak Malayu very well..."

He said: "... Kawan.... Muslim... xxx... xxx..." (Ok, Kawan means friend, so he has Muslim friend so he can speak Malay well.)
I said: "Sorry, I don't speak Malay."

He said (in Malay and Eng) : "... last time... china... kawan... Muslim... no food... he cannot already... dying... I give him pork to eat... Muslim cannot eat pork I know... but he dying... only drink water..."

Shocked, I didn't know did I hear correctly, I keep quiet and hear what he want to say.

He continued: "No food... He don't want to eat... he good person, very helpful... we have 4 person (?)... don't want to see him die... we tell him it's beef, then he eat... Wa, then ho, when he recover, he want to beat me, he thought I scare, I don't like he talk big, I take the bicycle, want to hit him! He talk big you know! He say he 100% Muslim, never eat pork before! What 100% Muslim? You know chinese don't eat beef?"

I said: " No, only certain religions, chinese don't eat beef, not all chinese don't eat beef."

He said: "Ya, I was a "?" I don't eat beef before, then one time I eat, nothing happened to me what, I still eat beef now!"

I said: "Sorry, muslim don't eat pork is a command from the Quran... ." (after that I realised he won't listen so I didn't continue)

He said: "Nothing happened to me ma, I eat beef, so CAN EAT."

He continues: "So we four give him pork. He said got sin, aiya, ok lah, I know I got sin with your Allah."

I went: "Huh? Sin? (a pause) You are not a believer, so you don't have sin lah, you are being kind wanted to help but you didn't know the seriousness of a Muslim regarding pork... I believed he also not TALKING BIG, he just wanted you to understand, but I think you didn't listen to his reason..."

He stared at me.

I continued: "Muslim don't eat pork, but only during emergency..."
He interrupt: "Ya emergency, he dying!"
I continued: "Only he can decide, you said he drinking water right? You should let him decide when he should eat, not you."
(To the muslim, he felt angry might due to this man betrayed his trust, the muslim believed what this man said, he was eating beef... I think.)

He said: "But he good man, like a brother, I don't want see him die."
I said: " Yes, but you should let him know he was given pork, let him decide, he would know whether he is in emergency or not... BUT talked about sin... You are just trying to save him but ignorance about our law, so no sin... As for him, he ate the pork out of ignorance, he didn't know, so no sin too."

*in my heart thinking... Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful, as long as the muslim repent for the mistake he make for eating forbidden food, Allah will forgive, inshaAllah*

Ah, realised I was about to reach my bus-stop, thinking "Oh Great, I can get off the conversation..."

Then I told him, "I have reached my stop."

He standed up, pleading: " You ask your teacher, you ask your teacher, I..."
I stand up from my seat, but his arm blocking my way, alarmed I looked at him speechless.

He continued: " You ask your teacher, you ask your teacher! I saved him! He talk big, want to beat me!"

The bus is stopping, with him blocking my way, I raised my voice " I NEED TO GET DOWN NOW!"

He removed his arm still asking me to ask my teacher... sigh... I alighted the bus.

This keep me thinking till now.