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The owner of Nasi Kandar Sulaiman in Penang shared a Facebook post on Friday about two Malay customers from outside Penang who asked him, “Aren’t you celebrating Thaipusam?”
When he said no, he’s Muslim, they seemed surprised and even suggested maybe his siblings would be celebrating the Hindu festival.
The post has since blown up with hundreds of comments from people saying, “This happens to us all the time.”
So what’s the confusion about? Well, the owner explained it simply: Mamak means “Indian Muslim.”
Born Muslim. Not converted from Hinduism.
Our grandparents were Muslim. Our great-grandparents were Muslim. We’ve always been Muslim.
Language vs Faith: The Mix-Up That Keeps Happening
He figures these customers might not have known—perhaps in their hometown, they don’t have many mamak neighbours.
But here’s the thing that bugs him: speaking Tamil doesn’t make you Hindu, just like speaking Arabic doesn’t automatically make you Muslim.
Tamil is just a language. What matters is we follow Allah and the Prophet.
The comments section quickly filled up with people sharing their own stories.
One woman who wears a tudung said people still ask if she’s Muslim because she doesn’t look Malay.
Others pointed out that in 2026, plenty of mamaks are imams and religious teachers—yet some Malaysians still don’t get that they’re Muslim.
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Penangites Get It, But Others Still Learning
A few commenters admitted they used to be confused too, especially since some Indian restaurants outside Penang are actually run by Hindus, though one noted that Penangites “grow up knowing the difference.”
Someone dropped a quick history lesson: “Mamak” comes from the Tamil word for uncle, and Indian Muslims have been trading and settling in Malaysia since the Melaka Sultanate days—”Even Tun Mahathir has Indian Muslim roots from Kerala,” one commenter noted.
The restaurant owner kept his tone pretty chill throughout, even reminding fellow Muslims not to mock other religions’ celebrations and to “show good akhlak.”
But his message was clear: don’t assume someone’s religion based on how they look or what language they speak, adding that questioning someone’s faith is actually a serious thing in Islam.
For many Malaysians, the post was a reminder that even in multicultural Malaysia, gaps in understanding still exist between communities.
As one commenter put it: “When you don’t mix with different people, you stay in your bubble and miss out on knowing your own neighbours.”
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