Chinese Toy Shop Owners Provide A Surau For Their Muslim Employees

A surau in toy shop for employees

Malaysians have shown that being a country with diverse cultures is not an obstacle for us to live harmoniously as one. With an abundance of stories on Malaysians helping each other out during unprecedented times such as the pandemic, we are indeed a united community with citizens who have hearts of gold.

One of many examples of how Malaysians have been looking out for their neighbours in small, yet meaningful ways, is this Chinese couple in Kuala Lumpur. They converted rooms in their toy shop into a surau, for their Muslim employees to perform their prayers conveniently.

Rooms converted into a surau over 13 years ago

Image adapted from: mStar

Mr. Lee Chee Win and Mrs. Yong Siew Ching operate a shop called Playstation, Phone & Toys Shop on Jalan Pandan Indah in KL. It specialises in selling toys for children, infants, and even gamers, and has been in business since 2000.

Image credit: PlayStation , Phone & Toys Shop

According to a report by mStar, the attentiveness of the couple towards the needs of their Muslim employees is owed to the fact that they have an ‘adopted’ daughter, Nik Aliza Abdullah, who is 37 years old at present.

Image adapted from: mstar

Mrs. Yong first met Nik Aliza 20 years ago, when the latter was working for a period at their toy shop. The couple decided to take the young woman under their wings as she had been living alone in KL. They fasted together during Ramadan, and meet up for festivities such as Chinese New Year. Nik Aliza’s children, affectionately considered as ‘grandchildren’ by the couple, can even speak Mandarin and Hakka.

Being aware of Muslim practices, the Chinese couple decided to convert two rooms in their shop that were meant to display goods on sale into a praying area for their employees.

They mentioned to the Malay news portal that the surau was built 13 years ago, with the intent of making it convenient for their Muslim employees to pray.

The public also welcomed to drop by for prayers

Throughout the years, Mr. Lee made sure to improve the condition and amenities of the surau. Besides adding curtains in the women’s surau to provide them with privacy, he also shared with mStar that he had tiled the floors for better maintenance and equipped the surau with prayer rugs, sarongs, and prayer veils.

Image adapted from: mStar

As even those who weren’t they employees started to ask for permission to use the surau, the couple decided to open it to the public.

Mr. Lee mentioned in the interview with mStar that it was a decision he was happy to make, with mall employees and customers alike frequenting their surau due to its convenient location. He also shared that he and his wife are happy to be able to help so many people, as long as everyone follow SOPs.

Diversity as a strength

Malaysia is a country home to diverse cultures and religions, all in close proximity to one another. This story serves as a reminder that we should always embrace our diversity as a symbol of strength, and a source of unity.

We applaud these toy shop owners for considering the needs of their employees, and taking the effort to convert rooms in their shop into a surau for their employees.

The Smart Local Malaysia has reached out to the owners of Playstation, Phone & Toys Shop, and will update this article when they get back to us.