Brouhaha over khat reveals the depth of mutual suspicion in Malaysia

COMMENT | When I visited Lebanon years ago, the tour guide climbed onto the bus and apologised for being late because he had been drinking & partying late the night before.

He said he was a Lebanese Christian who spoke Arabic and greeted people with Assalamualaikum. Like many Malaysians, I had always associated Arabic with Islam. This was an eye opener.

Sadly, the recent brouhaha over khat has revealed the depth of mutual suspicion in Malaysia. One Chinese guy told me he was against “taugeh writing”. Surely, we can disagree with a policy without resorting to insulting a writing script (and by extension, the culture & religion)?...