By student journalist Fong Jing Ting

It is 5am.

Judy is awake and she is getting ready for her usual morning prayers.

Judy was a Catholic but has chosen to convert to Islam after marrying a Muslim.    

As society’s attitude towards interracial marriages has evolved over the years, what really matters is that love has now encompassed race, religion, sex and culture.

More and more people now believe that race does not and should not matter when it comes to dating or even marrying someone you love.

Judy, 55, first met her late husband when he worked with her father as a policeman.

“I chose him not because of who he was or his race, but for his personality,” she said.

Facing family objections

For these star-struck lovers, they had to overcome numerous hurdles to be together.

Although her late husband’s family was nice towards her, not everyone approved of their relationship.  

“I was born in an interracial family, yet, my husband and I still faced some family resistance from both sides of our families.

“My family loved him but my parents’ only concern was that we both had different religious beliefs.

“It did not help that I was the only daughter in the family,” she said.

To prevent hurting the feelings of her parents, Judy chose to marry her husband only after her parents had passed away.

Judy has huge respect for her parents, thus deciding to build a life together with her husband was the first time she went against her parents’ wishes.

“We treat our parents first and foremost with the utmost kindness and respect, but in the end, the decision on who to marry is ours to make,” she said.

It took some time, but acceptance came and she is very close with her in laws today.

Love never comes easy

Twenty years ago, interracial marriages were unusual and frowned upon.

“Going out in public made me feel like an animal at the zoo.

“I received long stares when I was out with my husband and we both felt annoyed and uncomfortable about it,” Judy said.

The journey of love was never easy.

While they had to work hard on their own racial hang-ups to find happiness, Judy also had to learn to embrace her new identity as a converted Muslim.

Judy and her late husband eventually found out that their differences in culture and background were things that brought them together.

They learned to become more tolerant.  

Hence, Judy had a harmonious marriage with her late husband.

Happy family: Judy who is Chinese, together with her daughter Muhanniz, two other children and her late husband..

Higher intelligence among interracial children

With numerous studies suggesting that genetic diversity leads to an increased level of intelligence in individuals where many score higher on cognitive tests, Judy’s children are proof that a diverse-gene pool could be more beneficial.    

Those born to parents from different races and ethnics also tend to have higher levels of education.

Judy said she is proud of her daughter who is talented in both academics and sports.

Muhanniz Binti Mesri, 24, is one of Judy’s mixed-race children.

“Growing up as a bi-racial child has not been very easy, as I had to deal with two different cultures, two different backgrounds, languages and habits.

“But, growing in a bi-culture has made me who I am today.

“Confidence, understanding and tolerance are qualities which I developed throughout my childhood,” Muhanniz said.

The couple raised their children with equal respect for both Malay and Chinese culture.

“I learn to respect various cultures and have friends from different ethnicities. I always look forward to celebrating almost every major festival in Malaysia,” Muhanniz said.

Although this family does not face any harsh judgments from the public compared to 20 years ago, making an interracial marriage work takes time, effort and lots of love.

Fong Jing Ting is a student journalist and is pursuing her 3+0 Bachelor of Communication from University of Southern Queensland Australia at Han Chiang College.