This book is not just a memoir. It is Malaysia in real life. It is a tapestry.
An embroidery of growing up poor in multicultural Malaysia, especially Penang. A place where a mosque’s azan, a temple’s bells, Chinese drums and a church’s hymn were not news headlines, but the everyday soundtrack of my life, giving me strength, creativity, friendships and the motivation to realise my full potential.
I grew up with the smell of incense drifting through the window, the sight of Thaipusam processions, Christmas carols, Chinese opera stages during the Hungry Ghost Festival, and Malay Muslim cultural and religious observances. I grew up speaking Malay at home, English in school, Hokkien in the village, and picking up Tamil slang from friends. That was normal. These are the sounds of Malaysia.
"The Quran and I" is the story of how faith was not shaped in isolation, but in the middle of difference. In the middle of laughter, questions, friendships across religions, and the daily intermingling of cultures.
It is a story of how unity is not an abstract slogan. It is lived. It is heard. It is smelled. It is tasted. It is spoken in many tongues. It has its challenges, but it always rises above them.
If you believe Malaysia can be a model of peaceful coexistence in a divided world, this book is for you.
I would be honoured to have you at the launch.
Let us celebrate not just a book, but the beautiful rainbow we call home.
With peace, anas
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