Life In Kelantan Is Wonderful!

Assalamualaikum wr wbt. May peace and blessings of Allah be upon us all.

First of all, I'd like to inform you that currently my life is very busy and I could not provide more time to blog. I did update my main blog, Keluargaku Sayang almost daily but KakChik's Wardrobe is a bit lacking. It's like I have one hundred things to do in just a few days before 2009 ended and all of them must be completed nicely. Oh, I wish I am a bionic woman so that I can .... I don't know.

Anyway, my story about life in Malaysia is not finish yet. And I'd like to continue a little bit on the story because I know some of you are waiting for it.

So, in tonight's story I am going to share why I find this place so wonderful. My writing will be brief because I am going to use many images of Kelantan through the lens of a photographer friend, Rizal Tahir. Let's continue ...

Kota Bharu The Islamic City - The State Capital

View from the 18th floor of the Kelantan Trade Center.

PLEASE DO NOT COPY

Although there aren't many high buildings or skyscrapers, I love this state to death because the physical  development is in tandem with the moral development of the community. We do have social problems and the State Government is doing its best to overcome them. No place on earth I think is clean from social problems.

Kelantan Trade Center, the newest addition to the Develop With Islam planning of Kelantan. 

PLEASE DO NOT COPY

At the KTC complex, there are condominium, hotel, grand ballroom and shoplots. I've been there twice especially at the ballroom because of a seminar and a fashion show.

 The Dataran Rehal is the place where almost every visitors and tourist like to visit.

 PLEASE DO NOT COPY

It's like a big square block of land filled with parking lots for any kind of vehicles except for aeroplanes, surrounded with big brown stone pillars that have a replica of an open Qur'an on top of them. I have some pictures taken here with my niece Iffah last year but I coundn't find the album.

 

Praying terawikh under the big tents in town.

PLEASE DO NOT COPY

 

Alhamdulillah, ever since the State was ruled by the Pan Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), Kelantan has introduce many policies which put Islam to the front such as:

• No entertainment establishments are allowed in the State except for Islamic entertainment - if I have time I'll elaborate more on this next time, insyaAllah.
  
• All women models for signboards, billboards, banners and posters should wear hijab.
• Separate counters for male and female customers at the supermarkets.

These 3 are just examples, there are more.

 Vieling is common and by choice not cultural. However this is only common in Kelantan not the whole Malaysia.

PLEASE DO NOT COPY

Muslim women can wear whatever they like but in Kelantan you seldom see Muslim women without hijab. Most women cover themselves properly but you can also see those who choose fashion over proper hijab. Alhamdulillah you can see a niqabi anywhere because school students from the religious schools are allowed to wear niqabs in school. InsyaAllah Kelantan is a very nice place for a niqabi.

Isn't it wonderful? I'm getting sleepy and maybe that's it for the second part. InsyaAllah I'll continue when I have some spare time.

Thanks to Bro Rizal Tahir for allowing me to use his pictures here. If you'd like to see more of his collections, please visit his blog at MataKu Dan MataMu ... Beza Berbeza.