A heartwarming display of religious harmony has gone viral on TikTok, showing the spirit of peaceful coexistence in Sarawak.
A 28-second clip shared by user Joel.Orlando on Dec 17 features a group of Christmas carolers from St Peter and Paul in Bakam, Miri, pausing their performance in order to show respect for the azan (call to prayer).
The video, captioned “This is the real respect we need,“ has become a powerful symbol of interfaith understanding and mutual respect.
It shows a diverse group of men, women, and children dressed in red, some wearing Christmas hats, with one man dressed as Santa Claus and has resonated with netizens, who flooded the comments with messages of unity and pride.
“Tolerance and mutual respect among races and religions have long been practised in Malaysia. It is the politicians who make us appear divided. Merry Christmas to all fellow Malaysian Christians!” wrote @kedai_makkiter.
@n.ameenmdyoosuf praised the unique spirit of Miri, saying, “Only in Sarawak... Mirians are the best. The mosque and church stand side by side. Friday prayers and Sunday Mass both have parking spaces. We walk together and take care of Sarawak.”
Another user, @rudywife86, focused on the community’s shared identity: “We Sarawakians truly care about our people. No matter the religion, what matters is that we are Sarawakians.”
@nianasir13 succinctly captured the sentiment: “This is the best example of tolerance—respecting each other despite our differences. We share the same earth.”
@wanhostm.p.imiri, a Muslim user, expressed his appreciation: “I, as a Muslim, am very touched by all of you for respecting one another. This is what we want in Sarawak.”
