COMMENT | While the nation reels from discomforting narratives exchanged over the presence of Muslims in the homes and houses of worship of non-Muslims, for festivals and bereavement events, a Catholic journalist shares his bond of friendship with Ustaz Jamil.

This story is a testament, that it is possible to forge blissful interfaith bonding among the many races in Malaysia. When similarities are celebrated and differences are respected, that is where the elusive Malaysian utopia is to be found.

In the first week of this year, I lost a dear friend, Jamil Sidik. Jamil and I have been friends since Standard Four. And that was way back in 1967.

We became close friends because of our common admiration for boxer Muhammad Ali who was the rave of the day then.

Decades later, Jamil and I touched base again via our school WhatsApp group called “Tarsian”. Tars is the acronym for Tuanku Abdul Rahman School, where we studied hard and played hard, thoroughly enjoying our schoolboy days in Gemas, Negeri Sembilan.

But it was a different Jamil now. He looked like...