TO UNDERSTANDING THE UKRAINE RUSSIA CONFLICT

The conflict had sparked in 2014. Ukraine which was liberated from the Soviet Union (formerly Russia's name) in 1991, tends to join the European Union EU and NATO. 

It makes Vladimir Putin in doubtful. This conflict also had killed our Malaysia Airlines MH17 which are 283 passengers and 15 crew on board were killed on July 2014 while this flight was flying over on the Crimea's airspace. In fact until now, no answer and none of the culprits been brought to the arbitration. 

The conflict is vigorously popping up in the Crimean territory. This is because there are many pro Russian rebels are here.  They got arms aid from Russia.

Russia assumes Ukraine's tendency is a huge threat towards Russia and its regional areas. At the same time Ukraine excited to participate into Nato. Ukraine is not an opponent compare to Russia and of course it relies on the US and EU to deal with this conflict.

In order to liberate the Crimeans, Putin claims that a mass of the population of the Crimean Peninsular supported Russia and claimed that they were oppressed and discriminated by the Ukrainian government. The interference of United States will bring a more exacerbates as long United States attempts to stop Russian action on this conflict.

ALIFF AKHBAR 

The true story of my maternal grandfather Sheikh Abdul Kadir bin Sheikh Abdul Rahman

Assalamualaikum Good Day. Dear readers, the following article is about my maternal great-grandfather Sheikh Abdul Kadir bin Sheikh Abdul Rahman as narrated by my uncle Shaikh Mohamed Noordin. Even though I was not yet born at that time, the story itself made me feel close to my great-grandfather as though I know him personally. Please continue reading this story and I hope you too will to get to know him better.

The true story of my maternal grandfather Sheikh Abdul Kadir bin Sheikh Abdul Rahman 

By Shaikh Mohamed Noordin

The story that I want to share here this time is about the father of my mother Shamsam Nihar - my maternal grandfather who was named after his grandfather Sheikh Abdul Kadir Khasab. His official name was Sheikh Abdul Kadir bin Sheikh Abdul Rahman as his father was Sheikh Abdul Rahman. I called him Tok Yan as his family nickname was Chik Yan.

Tok Yan was born in Ipoh, Perak circa 1909 as the second child of 16 siblings from parents of aristocratic lineage. His grandfather Sheikh Abdul Kadir Khasab was an entrepreneur who had as one of his many businesses the Hajj pilgrimage and tourism in Mecca. Tok Yan’s father Sheikh Abdul Rahman was a pioneer member of the Perak State Legislature. He lived in quite an isolated home in the 3rd mile, off Kuala Kangsar Road.

My grandfather Sheikh Abdul Kadir bin Sheikh Abdul Rahman @ Tok Yan.

Although Tok Yan’s father Sheikh Abdul Rahman was born in Penang in Jawi Peranakan family, he settled down in Ipoh Perak after taking Che Mariam as his second wife. Sheikh Abdul Rahman had two daughters with his first wife in Penang. 

Tok Yan's father, Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Shaikh Abdul Kadir Kashab.(Left)

Tok Yan's mother, Che Mariam bte Kulup Anjang Yusuf.(Right)

Tok Yan's grandmother, Andak Sindik.

Tok Yan's house in 3rd mile, Kuala Kangsar Road.

Tok Yan’s mother Che Mariam or Che Yam was the second daughter of Andak Sindik and Mohamed Yusuf @ Kulup Anjang Yusuf, the 10th Dato Panglima Kinta. Her sisters were Che Zaliha @ Che Ah, and, Yang Kalsom @ Che Yai. The three siblings Che Ah, Che Yam, and Che Yai carried the aboriginal bloodline of their mother Andak Sindik. Andak Sindik's father, Uda Kecil, was Chieftain of the native tribe of Temiar. Uda Kecil was also an elephant herder.

Perak State Council members 1932. Tok Yan's father, Sheikh Abdul Rahman was at the last row and in the middle.

Tok Yan's grandfathar, Kulup Mohamed Yusuf @ Anjang Yusuf, 10th Dato' Panglima Kinta.

Tok Yan married his second cousin Fatimah bte Che Ros - my grandmother. Following the style of address of a grandmother in the Panglima Kinta tradition, I as a descendent of this tradition called my grandmother “Ta”.

Ta Fatimah's mother Andak Bakyah and Tok Yan’s mother Che Mariam were first cousins - their mothers Andak Sindik and Ngah Manah were siblings and the daughters of Uda Kecil.

My Tok Yan and his first wife, my granny Ta' Fatimah.

Sadly, Tok Yan divorced Ta Fatimah after they had three children, namely my elder uncle Shamsudin @ Lope, my mother Shamsam Nihar @ Che The, and my younger uncle Nuruddin @ Che Mu. After the divorce, they both re-married. Tok Yan married Teh Bakyah, and they adopted a daughter named Mariani as they could not conceive a child together. Ta Fatimah married a Chinese man named Ong Seng Hee @ Mohamed Ariff bin Abdullah, and they too had no children from their union.   

Tok Yan and Teh Takyah, his second wife and their adopted daughter, Mariani.

My grandfather Tok Yan, my uncle Shaik Buniamun @ Mamu Bachik and myself.

I am grateful to be able to grow up within the lifetime of my maternal grandfather Tok Yan as my paternal grandfather Shaik Natar died young. Thus, I knew Tok Yan intimately before he died at the age of 64 in 1984.

When Tok Yan was a boy of 10, he caught the typhoid fever, which caused him to lose his hearing and he became deaf and mute for the rest of his life. Due to this tragedy, he was lavished with a lot more attention from both his parents as well as other members of the family than his siblings. In fact, he was adopted by his aunt Che Zaliha or Che Ah who had no children of her own. Che Ah also cared for two of his younger brothers Chik Khalid and Chik Shuib. 

Tok Yan's aunty as well as his adopted mother, Che Ah and his cousin Shamlan.

Both his parents as well as his adoptive mother Che Ah died soon after that, and Tok Yan’s disability coupled with his lack of an education made his life difficult compared to his other siblings. Nevertheless, it would be during hard times that a human’s virtues would shine through, and in the case of Tok Yan, it certainly did. His tenacity and perseverance in facing life’s challenges made him resilient. He refused to bother anyone, let alone ask for help from his siblings, even though most of them were doing way better than him in their respective lives.Tok Yan’s handicap and his aristocracy saw to it that he was pampered. As his family was wealthy enough to guarantee his future, indeed not very much was demanded of him at all to get a proper education compared to his other siblings. However, this proved unfortunate when Malaya fell during the Second World War. The luxurious mollycoddled life of his adolescence and young adulthood ended when the Japanese captured and occupied Malaya from 1942 to 1945.

After Merdeka, to lift himself from financial indigence, Tok Yan secured himself a job as a plumber with the Ipoh Municipal Council until his retirement. To supplement his income, he applied his skills in the art of photography. Many relatives and friends patronise his creative services for their private functions.

Tok Yan also possessed remarkable talent in repairing and assembling technical equipment. He repaired TVs, watches, electric generators, and so on, and was able to disassemble and reassemble electrical items easily. He was also very innovative in creating toys for his grandchildren such as "magic cube", desk games, leaving his grandchildren with fond memories.

Later in life, his eldest brother Tan Sri Datuk Chik Mohamad Yusuf @ CM Yusuf, former Dato' Bendahara of Perak and former Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (1964 to 1974), gave Tok Yan a monthly allowance out of his own pocket. But once again tragedy hit and his brother died in a road accident on 26 June 1975 at the age of 68. The monetary assistance ended. 

Tok Yan's eldest brother, Tan Sri Datuk Chik Mohamed Yusuf, former Speaker Dewan Rakyat, 1964 – 1974.

Let us pray for Tok Yan and departed family members so that their souls may be placed together among the good and blessed.Tok Yan’s younger brother Datuk Ridhuan @ Chik Wan was former Deputy High Commissioner of Police; another younger brother Datuk Khalid was Protocol Officer to the Chief Minister of Sabah; Chik Musa @ Chik Mad worked and resided in Saudi Arabia; and the youngest Datuk Wan Zahir was former Deputy Secretary of the Parliament of Malaysia.

Special Thanks

I am especially indebted to my mother Puan Shamsam Nihar bte Sheikh Abdul Kadir and her adopted sister Puan Mariani bte Abdul Kadir for their reminiscence and revelation about my grandfather Tok Yan @ Sheikh Abdul Kadir bin Sheikh Abdul Rahman as my main source of reference in constructing the family tree of Shaik Ahmad Meah bin Shaik Gulam Meah.

PS: Some of the names used in the family tree are nicknames of the person. Therefore, the information can always be updated at any time.

Family tree Indicators:

•  Names in green boxes - stand for male descendents

•  Names in pink boxes - stand for female descendents

•  Names in red font - stand for female names

•  Names in bold - stand for direct descendents

•  Names in italic - stand for spouses 

The Descendants of My Great-Grandfather Shaik Ahmad Meah

Assalamualaikum Dear readers, it is my pleasure to share another article about our ancestor Shaik Ahmad Meah's which was narrated by my uncle Shaik Mohamed Noordin. I am excited to share his article here which I hope it can be future reference, especially for our younger generations to know more about their family history. At the same time, I would like to thank him for using my blog to compile all his collection of articles about our ancestors, I hope all my readers will enjoy reading this article. Thank you

The Descendants of My Great-Grandfather Shaik Ahmad Meah

By Shaikh Mohamed Noordin  

Personally, I don’t really know much about my own paternal great-grandfather Shaik Ahmad Meah bin Gulam Meah. However, I still believe that the facts that I had gathered from my older relatives were quite reliable due to their personal intimacy with our great-grandmother Ku Teh, wife of Shaik Ahmad Meah. However, there was no clear evidence to support the facts that whatever they know about him were entirely correct.

Shaik Ahmad Meah was a Jawi Peranakan who shared the same ancestry as my maternal great-grandfather, Shaik Mohamed Noordin, who was the father of my grandmother, Safar Bee @ Che Wan Chik. Both of my great-grandfathers, Shaik Ahmad Meah and Shaik Mohamed Noordin came from the same great-grandfather, Shaik Nattar Sahib, who was a former Lieutenant in the East India Company during the British era.

Shaik Ahmad Meah was related to Shaik Nattar Sahib through his maternal side (Che Buchik), while Shaik Mohamed Noordin was related through his paternal side (Shaik Eusuff). Thus, both of them were cousins. This was because Shaik Ahmad Meah’s mother was the sister of Shaik Mohamed Noordin’s father, Shaik Eusuff.

Shaik Natar Sahib was originated from Gujarat in India.

Nevertheless, there was a slight difference of “Shaik” in the surname betweent he paternal side and the maternal side of the family. The paternal side had “Meah” at the end of their names which carry the meaning “great” except my father’s name is Shaik Habil and he did not have “Meah” at the end of his name, but his nickname had “Meah” and he was better known as “Bah Meah” among our relatives.

My great-grandfather, Shaik Ahmad Meah was the only child of Shaik Gulam Meah with Che Buchik, who was also the sister of Shaik Eusuff. It is believed that Che Buchik and Shaik Gulam Meah were also a closely related family member. Back in those days, it was quite customary to marry one’s cousin within the Jawi Peranakan community. This was the Jawi Peranakan way to strengthen family ties, especially those who came from wealthy families. Sadly, none of the remaining family members know the names of Shaik Gulam Meah’s parents and their actual relationship with his wife’s family, Che Buchik.

Through my research, it was suggested that Shaik Ahmad Meah was an architect. It seemed that he had designed his own residence near Kedah House on Northam Road, Penang.  Another building that he designed was an underground nightclub which was formerly located opposite the Suria Apartment which has now been demolished. He was believed to have helped his uncle, Shaik Eusuff, a lot, who was involved in the construction business. Shaik Ahmad Meah’s name was also listed as a witness in a will made by Shaik Eusuff in 1892.

Shaik Ahmad Meah was married to Tengku Maimunah @ Ku Teh. They were blessed with seven children, four girls, [Mohamed Bee @ Bijan, Aishah Bee @ Buchik, Mohamed Chak @ Che Chak and Chik Su] and three boys [Shaik Latif, Shaik Gulam Meah @ Mamu Dada and my own grandfather, Shaik Natar.] Back in those days, it was quite normal for women in the Jawi Peranakan community to use the name Mohamed or Ahmad, as in the case of my grandfather’s sisters.

My grandfather, Shaik Natar bin Shaik Ahmad Meah

My grandparents with their young children. My father was their eldest child.

Shaik Ahmad Meah’s wife Ku Teh’ was the daughter to Hj Salleh who was said to be from the Kedah royal family. However, Hj Salleh did not want to use “Tengku” on his name because he did not want to be detected by the Siamese authorities. Hj Salleh was married to a pretty woman from Lingga, the mother of Ku Teh’. Hj Salleh was said to be an eminent warrior and also fought against the Siamese in Kedah and Southern Thailand. He was also a prominent martial arts teacher in Kedah and his prowess in the martial arts had been inherited by his grandson, Shaik Gulam Meah or better known as Mamu Dada in Penang.

Shaik Gulam Meah or Mamu Dada was famous for his skills in Malay martial arts or silat, particularly in Penang. He pioneered a martial arts technique based on the elbow exercise named “Siku Duabelas”. Like his grandfather Hj Salleh, Mamu Dada was also a traditional healer who wrote medical manuscripts about the various types of diseases and how to treat them. This manuscript is still being kept under the care of my brother Shaik Harunarashib. He also succeeded in formulating a type of medicine (makjun) called “PAKAN”. This makjun was used to boost the energy and stamina of his silat students, enabling them to practice their martial art longer. Unfortunately, all his skills and knowledge could not be passed on to his descendants because he had no children.

Shaik Gulam Meah

Shaik Gulam Meah or famously known as Mamu Dada, a reputable Malay martial art or silat instructor in Penang before independence era.

On the other hand, my own grandfather, Shaik Natar, who was the elder brother to Mamu Dada worked in the medical field as a dresser in the government hospital. My grandfather was married to my grandmother Che Wan Chik after he had divorced his first wife, Che Raja who was also my grandmother’s cousin. Che Raja was a daughter to Shaik Sathuck. They had two children, the boy named Shaik Murad @ Babjan and the girl named Mahirjan. My grandmother and Che Raja, both were Shaik Eusuff’s granddaughters.

My grandfather was a dresser in Bukit Mertajam hospital.

Other than this, there was nothing more that I know about the rest of my grandfather’s siblings because all of them have already died. So let us pray together so that their souls may be placed together among the other good souls.

My parents during their wedding's day. 

Special Thanks

I am especially indebted to my both cousins Allahyarhamah Puan Farizan bte Bayazid Khan and Puan Norjan bte Tajuddin for their insight, recalls about our common great-grandfather Shaik Ahmad Meah as my source of reference in drafting the family trees of Shaik Ahmad Meah bin Shaik Gulam Meah.

PS: Some of the names used in the family tree are only commonly known names to the person. Therefore, the information can always be updated if any corrections need to be made at any time.

Family tree Indicators:

• Names in green boxes – stand for male descendents 

• Names in pink boxes – stand for female descendents 

• Names in red font – stand for female names 

• Names in bold – stand for direct descendents 

• Names in italic – stand for spouses

 

Getting to know Shaik Eusuff bin Shaik Latiff

Assalamualaikum Good Day. 

In this article I am very excited to share the history of  our prominant ancestor Shaik Eusuff and his family. The narration and genealogy of Shaik Eusuff's family were prepared by my uncle Shaik Mohamed Noordin intended for future reference, especially for our younger generations to know more about their family history. I hope all my readers will get some benefits and enjoy reading this  series of articles about our family history.

By Shaikh Mohamed Noordin

Shaik Eusoff Bin Shaik Latiff was my great great-grandfather on my grandmother's paternal side. Recently, his name has cropped up again because of a court case involving his land in Ayer itam. Shaik Eusuff was a man ahead of his time. In 1896, Shaik Eusuff took an unprecedented step. He made Will in respect of his properties, one of which was his land in Ayer Itam. He bequeathed the land in such a way that any income generated from this particular land must be managed under an endowment scheme, and this income was intended solely to pay for the expenses for another piece of land of his in Dhoby Ghaut that he had endowed for the Islamic caused.

21 years after the death of his youngest child, the land must be returned to his next heirs, whomever is still living at that time. Unfortunately, his well-intentioned scheme as stipulated in his Will has been disputed and contested in the Syariah court to obtain Islamic legal interpretation of the issue.

Shaik Eusoff was formerly a businessman in the construction industry and was actively involved in helping his father-in-law, Mohamed Noordin Merican in the development of Penang. Shaik Eusuff was the only son of Shaik Latiff Bin Shaik Nattar Sahib. His grandfather Shaik Natar Sahib was an army officer, a soldier in the East India Company and held the rank off Jemadar. In the British army, the rank of Jemadar is equivalent to Lieutenant.

Shaik Nattar Sahib was of Gujerati descent who had come from India along with Captain Sir Francis Light who had opened up Penang in 1786. He later took up residence in Penang and became a well-respected and revered community leader at the time.

When the Sepoy soldiers came to Penang, he was the host of them. The 'Boria' show as we know it today was started by him through the Sepoy soldiers. He constructed a building and endowed it as a surau and also a place of boria performance called 'Hasharah Khana' located at Jalan Masjid. Hasharah Khana was also used to celebrate Ashura Day of the 10 Muharram. During that time boria was a religious ritual full of remembrance and prayers.

Shaik Nattar Sahib was the first person to highlight boria as a Peranakan culture and to this day, it is a unique cultural heritage of the Jawi Peranakan community of Penang. Therefore, we should proudly continue the legacy of Shaik Nattar Sahib, namely boria as part of the national’s cultural heritage As at today, there have been ten generations in Penang since the time of Shaik Nattar Sahib.

Apart from Hasharah Khana, Shaik Nattar Sahib has also endowed the cemetery behind the building and restoration work on the cemetery is still in the planning.

My great-granduncle Shaik Sathuck. He was my great-grandfather's elder brother. Both of them were the only boys of Shaik Eusuff's children.

My granduncle Shaik Natarsah @ Buchak, a grandson of Shaik Eusuff.

Shaik Eusoff had continued the charitable work of his father and grandfather by building up a house in the 1850s. This house is still magnificent and is now known as Yeng Keng Hotel in Leboh Chulia. According to available records, Shaik Eusoff was born in 1833 and died on 23 April 1894. He was married to Mah Wan Bee @ Hajee Bee Binti Mohamed Noordin Merican and had eight children, two boys and six girls.

My grandmother Che Wan Chik @ Safar Bee bte Shaik Mohd Noordin with her second husband Abu Backer Merican @ Chik Md Din who was also her cousin. Both of them were grandchildren of Shaik Eusuff and also great-grandchildren of Mohamed Noordin Merican.

 

Mah Wan Bee or per her real name, Che Ahmad Nachair was from a prestigious Merican family in Penang at that time. Her father was Mohamad Noordin Merican a wealthy and successful entrepreneur in the fields of shipping, textiles and spices. Noordin’s business empires stretched as far as Singapore, Acheh, Phuket, Burma and India. He was the younger brother of Cadre Mohideen Merican, Kapitan Kling of Penang.

Kapitan Kling's family, @ Abdul Cader @ Kadir Merican used Merican as their family name, while his younger brother Mohamed Noordin's family used Noordin's name as their family name. The tomb of Mohamed Noordin and his family was located within the Kling Mosque area.

 

During his lifetime Shaik Eusoff was a respected community leader and was appointed a ‘juror’ by the British authorities. He was a Muslim who spent his life living and breathing Islamic principles and had endowed a piece of land of five acres for the building of a mosque named as the Shaik Eusoff Mosque in Dato Keramat. He had also entrusted a 14 -acre plot of land in Air Itam for the benefit of his family. On this land are located the Penang Orphanage and also the Syed Hussin Aidid Malay Boys Home Building.

My granduncle Shaik Emam @ Buchik and his children.

May Allah shower His blessings, Mercy and Grace on their souls and forgive their sins and place them among the people of Solihin. Amen.

Special Thanks

I am especially indebted to Dato Ahmad Rodzi bin Pawanteh, the former President of Ikatan Kasih @ Pertubuhan Perikatan Allahyarham Shaik Eusuf Keluarga Shaik Eusuff Hajee Bee for his input and other relevant information materials as my main source of reference in developing the family trees of Shaik Eusuff.

Family tree Indicators:

           Names in green boxes - stand for male descendants 

2.     Names in pink boxes - stand for female descendants

3.     Names in red font - stand for female names

4.     Names in bold - stand for direct descendants

     Names in italic - stand for spouses 

5

Who is Mohamed Noordin Merican?

By Shaikh Mohamed Noordin

Many of the younger generations, even among our own family are not aware of who Mohamed Noordin Merican @ M.M. Noordin was, although his name may tickle them sometimes. Hence, let me therefore, verify who M.M. Noordin was and his relationship with us. M.M. Noordin was in actual fact, the ancestor of my grandmother, Che Wan Chik @ Safar Bee.

M.N.N.Noordin @ Che Din Bukit Kecit, my 2xgreat-granduncle. 

As we retrieve back to the family tree, Che Wan Chik was the daughter of Shaik Mohamed Noordin Meah, who was the son of Mah Wan Bee @ Hajee Bee @ Che Ahmad Nachair. Mah Wan Bee was the daughter of M.M. Noordin with his fourth wife, Nonya Ngah Eh @ Ugay Eh. In fact, my name “Noordin” was actually taken after the name of my great-grandfather, whose name was Shaik Mohamed Noordin, who also used his grandfather's name, M.M. Noordin.

M.M. Noordin I, my 2xgreat-granduncle, elder brother of my 2xgreat-grandfather M.N.N. Noordin. 

Meanwhile, Che Wan Chik's mother was Che Chak @ Khadijah Nachair Merican, the daughter of Mohamed Nashoorudin Merican @ M.N.N. Merican, who was also famously known as Che Din Bukit Kecit. He was also the son of M.M. Noordin with his third wife Nyonya Soo Eng. There were many intermarriages between cousins of the Merican’s family and the Shaik’s family, which had set to form the present generation as it is now.

For example, Mah Wan Bee was married to Shaik Yusuf bin Shaik Latif, a well-known wealthy man in Penang, who was also my ancestor from my paternal side. To facilitate the understanding of possible connection or relationship with M.M. Noordin, attached below are genealogical diagrams (family trees) of him and his children, of whom may be possibly related to you.

MM Noordin II, son of MNN Noordin, my gread-granduncle. 

For reference, M.M. Noordin was an extremely affluent and a well-known public figure in Penang in the nineteenth century. He was born in 1778 in Pondicherry, India. However, M.M. Noordin was not of an Indian descent, but was said to originate from Turlekan, a district in Turkey. The word "Merican" itself comes from the word "Marikalayar", which means "people from the ocean". Apparently, this associates with their activities, which are mostly related to navigation and shipping.

 Nevertheless, other sources had indicated that the Merican descendants were said to have originated from Samarkand, an old city located along the ‘sister route’ or silk road in Central Asia. The old city was formerly known as Maracand or Maracanda. It is the capital of Uzbekistan, which was once part of the Soviet Union. They migrated to the Arabian Peninsula and later to the Indian subcontinent before reaching the Malay Peninsula.

 M.M. Noordin moved to Penang from Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu in 1820 with his mother Fatimah or Pathma and his brother Abdur Cauder Moheedin Merican in search of a brighter future. They landed in Batu Uban and stayed there for a while before moving to Kampong Kolam in Georgetown, Penang.

 M.M. Noordin started his business as early as the 1820s and by the 1830s he had already emerged as one of the most influential and respected business figures in Penang. His business includes the textile and spice trade. He also provides shipping services to transport immigrants and pilgrims.

Habib Merican, my 2xgreat-granduncle, he was my 2xgreat-grandfather's elder brother.

M.M. Noordin was also very successful in the barter trade, namely textiles brought in from India to be exchanged for black pepper from Acheh. His shipping services between the ports along the Straits of Malacca, including Acheh and North Sumatra, also covered Burma and India. By the late 1830s M.M. Noordin had already established himself as the largest shipping operator in Southeast Asia.

For example, in 1838, his shipping records showed that he had sent 17 merchant ships to Deli, Acheh, Pudu, Pedir, Chittagong, Arakan, Cuddalore, Nagapatnam, Calcutta, Cochin China and Singapore. In 1852, his ships had even shipped merchandise all the way to China.

By the end of the 1860s, M.M. Noordin had already built the reputation as a well-known plantation entrepreneur and trader who ran his business operations at Chulia Street in Penang. With such remarkable and distinguished accolades, he was elected to lead various socio-economic organizations. Among his notable accomplishments, include his appointment as a committee member of the Penang Chamber of Commerce in 1838. He was also the first Indian Muslim to be appointed as the Municipal Commissioner and Justice of the Peace.

M.M. Noordin replaced his brother Cauder Moheedin who died in 1834 as Captain Kling, and had continued the legacy of his brother by attaining excellent record. He is also a major contributor to the infrastructure development in Penang.

As a successful merchant and community leader, M.M. Noordin also played an active and significant role in looking after the welfare of the community in Penang. His generosity was prevalent through his various charity works for the well-being of the local community. He had also built the first school for the Muslim community to learn the Quran, Islam, Arabic, English and other languages. The school is located adjacent to the Kapitan Keeling Mosque, which was built by his late brother.

He was also known as the largest landowner in Penang, owned many shops and rental houses as well as the largest farm in Seberang Perai, ‘Noordin Estate’. He had built a water supply line from the waterfall area in the city, namely in the Light Street/Leith Street area. This water channel was the first irrigation system in Penang before the water pipeline system was introduced.

Although he practised and had a strong adherent to the teachings of Islam, his charity deeds and donations were also extended to other religious institutions, including to the Christian institutions to facilitate their worship. The sentiment in maintaining harmony and good relations among the communities with multi religions had been practiced and nurtured since his time. Today's generation should be ashamed of not being able to emulate the attitude shown by a prominent community figure who had already charted a glorious history in this state.

Family's mosque, built up by first Kapitan Keling, Abdul Kadir Merican, my 3xgreat-grandfather's @ Mohamed Noordin Merican's elder brother. 

M.M. Noordin died in 1879 at the age of 92. He was buried in the Noordin family cemetery located at Chulia Street in Penang. The tomb was built in the 1880s, which was the site where his mother was supposed to be buried. His brother was, however, not buried at the same site but in Kampong Kolam where they first migrated to Penang. The tomb was abandoned for some time before it was repaired. Presently, it has been turned into the Art Gallery of the Malay Painters Association of Penang.

Noordin Family Mausoleum. 

M.M. Noordin has also a street named after him, Noordin Street or Lebuh Noordin. After his death, his business was taken over by his children. He was survived by six sons and six daughters, who have now inherited one large family. He emulated the way the Chinese carries the "family names", a legacy which is passed down to the grandchildren and future generations. It is my utmost intention that this brief narration about M.M. Noordin Merican will be able to serve as a source of inspiration to his descendants. Amen.

Special Thanks

I am especially indebted to Encik Wan Noordin Haris, the former President of Persatuan Anak Cucu Cicit Noordin Merican for providing me the original works of the family trees of Mohamed Noordin Merican and his decedents as my main source of reference.

Family tree Indicators:

1. M.M. Noordin - stands for Mohamed Noordin Merican

2. Names in green boxes - stand for his first wife’s (Fatimah (Echee)@ Che Mah) decedents        

3. Names in blue boxes - stand for his second wife’s (Che Chik) decedents 

4. Names in yellow boxes - stand for his third wife’s (Nonya/Nonia Soo Eng) decedents

5. Names in pink boxes - stand for his fourth wife’s (Nonya/Nonia Ngah Eh @ Ugay Eh) decedents

6 Names in red font - stand for female names

7. Names in bold - stand for direct decedent

8. Names in italic - stand for spouses