Malaysians joke about 'smiling' custom
Malaysians are laughing at a purported "Malaysian custom" of how a smile from a woman is an invitation for a man to follow her.
In a hearing on the sexual assault of a woman, former second warrant officer Muhammad Rizalman Ismail told the High Court in Wellington, New Zealand last week that he was following such a “custom” when he followed a woman back to her house.
He was a former diplomat at the Malaysian High Commission in New Zealand and was arrested by New Zealand police on charge of burglary and assault with intent to rape after allegedly following a 21-year-old woman, Tania Billingsley to her home.
He initially was released to go back to New Zealand but Malaysia eventually agreed to extradite him for investigation. He pleaded guilty to a charge of indecent assault.
Malaysians have reacted in shock to Rizalman’s statement with some even making jokes about his claim that smiling at someone is an invitation to follow somebody.
“I was at the airport about to catch a flight to Singapore when a woman smiled at me which is – as we have recently discovered via a Malaysian diplomat in New Zealand – a Malaysian signal for me to follow her ... So now I’m boarding a flight to Penang. Wish me luck people,” wrote comedian Harith Iskander on his Facebook page on Saturday.
Harith’s post has since gone viral, receiving over 8,200 “likes” and close to 2,000 shares.
Facebook user Elisa Taufik wrote: “Dear Malaysian Men, If you follow me just because I smile at you, I swear to God, I will kick you in the nuts. Sincerely, Malaysian women.”
Facebook user Justin David, meanwhile, wrote a message to Malaysian women in response.
“Dear Malaysian women, If you smile at me and I don’t smile back at you, that’s because I don’t want to follow you back and I have a toilet at home. Yours sincerely and apologetically, Malaysian Men,” wrote David on his Facebook page.
Twitter user @TheEyemanGYR also joked about the “custom”, saying: “If a girl’s smile is an ‘invitation’, I would’ve gotten laid every day for the past 5 years.”
Another Twitter user, Lina Klasik, added: “I need to learn how not to smile … because I’m a married woman … nanti tekejut laki, org ikut balik rumah (my husband will be shocked, a person following me home) … bahahahhaa.”
