Fascination for all things spooky1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteMALAYSIANS are a culturally diverse lot but one common thread is their fascination with the supernatural. Whether you are Chinese, Indian or Malay, stories of ghostly encounters are part and parcel of the Malaysian experience.
While our spooks look nothing like the Twilight films’ vampire heartthrob Edward Cullen, the local spirits, ghosts and ghouls are, indeed, hauntingly real for some.
Weighing in on the subject of Malaysians’ fascination with the supernatural, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) associate professor Dr Muhammad Azizan Sabjan from the School of Humanities (philosophy and civilisation section), explains that from an Islamic perspective, jinns do exist.
“The main difference between them and us is that they are invisible. Only those bestowed special skills or talent’ by God can see them,” he explains.
“So, the belief in the existence of jinns in modern times is not superstitious but the way one conducts certain ceremonies to appease them, is,” he adds.
