THE upcoming Chinese New Year (CNY) should be a time for celebration, rejoicing and renewing of family ties regardless of a person’s faith.
This was the message shared by Muslim convert actor, choreographer and entrepreneur Adam Corrie Lee bin Abdullah a.k.a. Adam Corrie who revealed that certain overly pious individuals had advised him that it was inappropriate for him to celebrate the Lunar New Year with non-Muslim family members.
The KL Gangster thespian who hails from Penang stressed that he is mindful of Islamic boundaries and does not participate in non-Muslim religious rituals.
Henceforth, his “balik kampung” trips were more about respecting cultural traditions and strengthening family ties.
Those unpleasant feedback was shared by Astro Gempak on its Facebook platform which has garnered 12K likes, 2.5K comments and 349 shares at time of publication. Those numbers denote that this is an issue that multi-cultural Malaysians are deeply passionate about.
First off, some commenters expressed surprise that this is even an issue in this day and age, with one explicitly pointing out that CNY was a cultural – as opposed to a religious – celebration.
It was also sarcastically mentioned that similar issue arises every year during Christmas and Malaysians would argue about it till the end of times.
One commenter was at pains to highlight the religious and cultural aspects of each celebration, including Christmas.
Each festivity featured time for family and friends apart from the religious services. Absolutely nothing wrong for all Malaysians to participate in each other festivities regardless of religious or ethnic background with some hearty laughter and good food!
One commenter declared that “Islam is simple” and the religion would never advocate the breaking of family ties with non-Muslim family members.
A Chinese Muslim convert also stressed that he would always celebrate CNY with his family as it is tradition. “When its Raya my parents and siblings celebrate with me. That’s what harmony is,” she stressed.
Another Muslim convert of Chinese descent also recounter her own experiences celebrating CNY with her late mum, describing how much she missed those joyous occasions.
Emphasising that CNY was to mark the beginning of a new Chinese calendar year, one irritated commenter claimed it was similar to celebrating New Year’s Day on Jan 1. There should be no religious connotations whatsoever with everyone feeling free to participate, he argued.
There are millions of Muslims in China who, too, who celebrate CNY while keeping with Islamic values. This internationally connected commenter highlighted how “being a Muslim doesn’t mean a person magically turns into a separate race.”
In a separate video uploaded onto Facebook Reels, the 57-year-old devout Muslim and social media influencer who converted to Islam in 2007, nevertheless admitted that he will NOT be celebrating CNY this year as his mother had passed on in December 2025.
It is somehow baffling that in a multi-cultural society like Malaysia, there still persists this strain of thought that Muslims are to exist in their own cocoon.
Cultural celebrations of non-Muslims are off-limits according to these holier-than-thou types who will frown disapprovingly at any sharing of festivities citing Islamic moral codes.
But as one Muslim commenter underlined, converting to Islam does not equate to disowning one’ family. – Feb 5, 2026
Main image credit: Keluarga
