It was on a rainy day that Sakinah Tan accompanied her grandmother to the clinic, and it was on that day that photographer Jason Quah noticed them, snapping a sweet moment encapsulating filial love that transcends race and religion.
It went viral immediately, of course. Uploaded on TODAY Online‘s Instagram account, the picture’s been splashed all across social media while publications like ours scrambled to write about it.
An affirming, inspiring image it may be, but Tan was overwhelmingly unprepared for her massively viral fame. “I now know how animals on exhibit feel,” she wrote about her newfound popularity — ironic, considering how she works as an education facilitator at the Singapore Zoo.
In a lengthy blog post, Tan explained how she felt overexposed and even violated following the viral picture, mainly from reading all the toxic comments left by online haters. Skeptic remarks about her relationship with her Chinese grandmother; acquaintances trying to jump in on the glory; folks claiming that it was a posed shot — she’s had enough of it all.
She went on to clarify the interracial and inter-religious background of her family and the tight-knit relationship she shares with her Nainai; for example, Nainai would always inform people that Tan is her granddaughter every time they’re out together.
Making use of her brief limelight, Tan also spoke out about the issues faced as a racially-mixed Muslimah (which we’d be more than glad to publish too, if she’s keen):
“Multiple non-Malay Muslims (be they born or converted to Islam) struggle with acceptance from their families. Many of them end up homeless because they’re kinda excommunicated from family due to lack of understanding of their change-of-heart; many of them can’t explain why they felt the urge to convert/follow Islam, in spite of the cultural rules society has concretised over many generations.”
“Interracial families are becoming more and more prominent but the stigma persists… especially with the youth. I’ve heard of painful family dramas when racially-opposing couples get together, I’ve experienced the best of beautiful friends’ interracial matrimonial stories, and I’ve also come across the SGAG comments section (ugh). Singapore, we gots a problem – should we not fix it? Especially with the ‘bright-eyed’ youth who make the bulk of mindless keyboard warriors, talking snap about sensitive issues they can’t even wrap their still-yet-to-mature minds around?”
“Across, from my Nainai’s block, is where her younger brother resides, alone with no wife or children. He is my granduncle (Kukong/姑公), and he suffers from diabetes and deteriorating eyesight. He and my grandfather are in their 70s, they’re still working their butts off to keep the food on the table, but what’s more important is that these old folks, inclusive of their other independently-living neighbours, always seem so sombre.”
“I find it quite sad that me just sheltering my Nainai has stirred hearts for the mere fact that it’s rare to find a 3rd gen care for the 1st gen. My Nainai lights up when she hears my usually-busy-with-school cousins come to visit just because they want to see her, and not because they have an errand to run with her. Imagine how much happy this pioneer gen is being deprived of.”
Read the rest of her blog post here.
