Reading Jawi

Every Sunday evening, reading an article from Utusan Zaman was a ritual I dreaded as a child. It wasn't so bad deciphering those arabic letters that formed Malay words (Jawi), but the exercise was so dreaded because Abah would drill me by making me read it repetitiously, until my reading was fluent.

Sometimes, I'd accidentally release a soft grunt or snort when prompted and asked to repeat. This would only make Abah mad and annoyed, occasionally leading him to ask me to choose a SECOND article to read!

At other times, Abah would even ask me to take my Jawi school textbook which was usually still crisp and almost brand-new, due to the teacher's lack of enthusiasm in conducting the weekly lessons because it was not an exam subject. Jawi lessons were usually free-periods for us to play games together or finish off copying notes from the board.

Today, I feel that the younger generations in Malaysia are lucky. In general, there has been a greater awareness in religious education and the curriculum has also been greatly improved. I remember being amazed at the rate my sons were reading Jawi at the age of 7 and 8. Definitely better than the mom at that age!

However, since coming abroad, their Jawi (and Bahasa Malaysia) readings have been neglected. It's quite hilarious to hear them articulate the words as if the words were all Arabic (like reciting the Quran). Oh boy, I've got to encourage them to read from time to time, before the forget the whole thing entirely!