Just wanna say hi

Hello, new here. I usually just be lurkin on this site and recently came across this sub, so I wanted to share briefly. I was pleasantly surprised to discover there is a community for ex-MalayMuslims. I’ve drifted away from the faith since my late teens and early twenties. Although I no longer live there, I’m grateful to know I’m not alone in this space.

Whenever I see discussions about religion, I sometimes find myself rolling my eyes, questioning how people can be so sheltered. I realize that my own background was influenced by an upbringing within an echo chamber; from being required to finish certain religious practices like spending late afternoons with others to finish 'Quran', to constantly listening to ceramah. Over time, I came to see many of these teachings as outdated and not applicable to our modern world. Ceramah is just religious old farts or the young wannabes be babbling about nonsense. Literally, just personal interpretation of 'hadith' or whatever verses. Personally, these people are just emulating and copying 'pak arab and minah arab', and these pak arab celups don't realize the erasure of once rich malay identities and cultures before these fckers came to influence the sultan and slowly converting everyone. I had to do a lot of unpacking before accepting that I do not belong to this sht.

In my early 20s, I chose not to engage with or associate closely with religious communities, especially more conservative groups. While I do miss home (don't live there anymore); especially the cooking and certain aspects of daily life. I don't miss the religious culture and the religious crazies. Sometimes, I peek into what’s happening back home online, and I notice the amount of "pak arab celup" seems to be increasing quite a bit. Maybe, that's just online culture so I can't say much what actually happening on the ground. I’m just glad I don’t have to listen to sermons or other similar things anymore. It reeks phobia, fear mongering and extreme control as well as religious coercion.

I am not sure when and what policies expedited the cultural change. If I recall correctly, the malays tended to be quite liberal. I’ve watched a few older movies and have noticed that things seem to have changed over time. I have lots of things to say and share my thoughts... but damn, that's gonna be a memoir! They could put fatwa on me! haha

These crazies do be spending time dying rather than living. At one point, I was scolded and vilified for not praying. Anyway, I’m happy to see there are others here who share similar experiences. Thought I dropped a quick note and say hi to all of you! and just a spot to vent!