My original plan was to be a songwriter for other artists. However, a sudden twist of fate changed my path and encouraged me to become a singer-songwriter. I will never forget that it was my supporters who encouraged me to sing my own songs although they were initially meant for other artists. My guiding reason was based on a strong belief that everyone should be free to be their trueselves regardless of gender, culture, status, age, nationality, religion, sexual orientation and neuro makeup - and be proud of it all. We should never need to feel ashamed of who we truly are or hide any parts of ourselves.

To unity and beyond,

Amirah

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It feels good to hang and be around people (or aliens) who are like me. It felt like a dream attending Dr. Temple Grandin's interview at Live LA Talks with my Asperger Group members @sachsketches
and Sage. Dr. Mary from TRUST Autism Research at USC, which I've been a part of the last year, came and joined us as well.

Coincidentally all of us Aspies wore black! (Surprise, surprise). Sage and I wore the exact same style of dress. (Practicality comes first). Most of us met for the first time or after several years. We barely communicated due to autistic burnout and being constantly over-sensorized.

Some of us were early so we got to take a photo with Dr. Temple herself by sheer luck!! No eye contact and small talk required. Info dumping allowed and not labeled as lecturing.

It was amazing to see and watch one of our own autistic species on stage freely speaking bluntly, weird and awkward (for neurotypical standards but for us it's normal) and interrupting constantly by neurotypical standards. No shaming. How refreshing. I deserve to live like this too everyday.

My only feedback for improvement is how they should have turned off the background music in order to make it an autistic friendly event. Sage and I quickly wore our earplugs upon entering. I shared with Sage my furry bag and furry jacket sensory hack and she loved it. We were all huge note takers, bringing our own notebooks.

As Dr. Temple repeated like a broken record - we need ALL kinds of brains - visual, pattern and verbal. So please save us from autistic burnout and let us be ourselves. We have a lot of great talents and skills to contribute if we can just skip social events, small talk and eye contact. We are not trying to be rude. It's just how we are. It's exhausting to constantly have to communicate and live in neurotypical ways and lifestyles, or otherwise succumb to the wrath of being misunderstood (the deadly torture we autistics deal with on a daily basis for living and breathing) and shamed. Our emotional needs constantly goes unmet, our talents ignored and our genuineness being taken advantaged of. Let's do a 180 okey.

Thanks Dr. Temple! You're our hero.

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My original plan was to be a songwriter for other artists. A sudden twist of fate changed my path and I became a singer-songwriter. My guiding reason is based on a strong belief in everyone's ability to exercise their right to freedom of religion.

Everybody should be able to freely practice their faith, religion, and beliefs freely - in privacy without any interference from anyone. As long as they are not causing any harm to anyone else, they should be left in peace to practice their religion in any way they so wish. This includes reciting, writing, and professing in their language of choice, performing rituals that they resonate with, and being able to go about their own unique ways of worshipping. Their relationship with God is personal and private with no need for intermediaries. I feel that this is all beautiful in its own way and a perspective on life that should be celebrated and respected.

I feel deeply about the importance of understanding, respecting, and accepting one another. There should be no coercion in religion. This is true for everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, or culture. No one should be forced to subscribe to any religion or faith or lose the right to have non-religious beliefs.

It is also important that no one should be forced or feel pressured to join a particular religion just because they are born into a family who subscribes to that particular religion. Also, nobody should be forced to convert to a particular religion simply because they love and want to marry someone of that religion. Lastly, all of us should be allowed to leave a religion or faith that we do not feel in alignment with. If there are irreconcilable disagreements, one should then be able to exit peacefully with dignity and respect.

When I composed "Katakanlah" in 2010, I wanted to provide a platform for an idea that everyone should be free to choose and practice their religion and faith peacefully with dignity and respect. I was devastated to learn about the desecration of Muslim and Christian houses of worship over the use of the word "Allah" in the Malay Bibles. I was saddened that something so beautiful, recognizing that first, God is one and second, how our relationship to "God" might be the same throughout different Abrahamic religions, was causing major disagreements among different groups of people. This universal understanding of "God" has always been for me a tool to forward the awe-inspiring concept of "unity" versus using it as a tool to divide and promote violence. I was extremely distressed that this was happening in my beloved country. This was the motivation to compose "Katakanlah." This particular chain of events changed the trajectory of my musical journey and provided a way for me to become not only a songwriter, but a singer-songwriter encouraged by the love and support of my new fan base.

As the battle went on in the Malaysian courts, it was heartbreaking to learn of their final decision: The word "Allah" was forbidden and could not be used by Malaysian Christians in their Malay Bibles. I could just imagine how heartbroken the Malaysian Christians felt. After 10 long years, to my surprise, I stumbled upon an article stating that this rule had been overturned and finally, Malaysian Christians could now freely use the word "Allah" in their Malay Bibles and practice their religion freely. I hope this still stands true today and will not ever change. I let out a huge sigh of relief. Who would have thought, that exactly 10 years later, the reason I composed "Katakanlah", would come full circle, with positive results, in my lifetime.

To all Malaysian Christians, especially the indigenous Christians in Malaysia who had to endure this long and painful heartache for 10 long years, facing extreme shame, pain, and rejection: I stand with you and my heart goes out to you. We all deserve a place on our Tanahair equally, as free and respected citizens of Malaysia - no matter our religion, language, culture, status, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.

May we all move forward in this process of healing and acceptance. Let us keep inspiring and encouraging unity, together.

- A

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As an Aspie, I have to take care to manage sensory overload in my life. When I was diagnosed with Asperger’s. I realized that I feel, see and hear things much more intensely. For this reason, I get easily overwhelmed and exhausted quickly in social situations and noisy environments.

Because of this, I have to be proactive about managing my energy every day.

My daily rituals and routines are very important to me. They help keep me in a good place mentally and physically. These things work for me and I wanted to share them with you; maybe you can try them and see what works for you. These are the things I do daily to help keep my energy levels in check.

Morning routine

Doing my morning routine provides me with the self care I need to get a good start to my day. This starts from the night before, ensuring that I go to bed early. I then wake up and take some time to meditate, journal, exercise and have a smoothie. I also spend a lot of time organizing myself, especially in the mornings.

Scheduling

I organize my schedule a week in advance on Google Calendar so I can ensure it is optimized based on my sensory environment (noise, traffic, etc) and around my social interactions (meetings, zoom calls, social hangouts).

I then re-write them by hand on my DIY planner to ensure I don’t over-schedule myself. I also like to minimize my screen time as much as possible.

This way I ensure I do not burn out my energy too fast, and I am able to arrange my schedule for optimum efficiency so that my commitments are not all crowded together.

I check my calendar often throughout the day so having a handwritten copy not only keeps me on track but also ensures my eyes don’t get over-strained looking at too many screens.

With my handwritten schedule I like to write fixed appointments in pen and moveable appointments in pencil, so that I can change them if needed.

Journaling

Writing down what I am grateful for, reading and writing my affirmations, thoughts and feelings, all help me process the many emotions that I feel that often go unnoticed due to my alexithymia (issues identifying my emotions).

Documenting my thoughts and feelings helps me find solutions to anything that I may be going through in a given moment.

To me, the introspective nature of journaling allows my subconscious to communicate with me through the night, creating an opportunity for my mind to come up with solutions to unresolved issues while I sleep.

Journaling also helps me if I’m feeling anxious and overwhelmed by calming me down and allowing me to structure and clarify what I am going through. For instance, In my notebooks I create pro/con lists, or any list that can help me sort my thoughts. This allows me to regain control of a situation when I’m feeling overwhelmed.

Another journaling tactic I use Is to write down any questions to problems I want to solve. By writing the questions to myself l I push my brain to come up with a list of solutions. Quite often this method works very well for me.

Also, I recently found out that documenting your thoughts in order to process your emotions can be a form of “stimming” (repetitive self stimulating behaviour).

When journaling I love the large Moleskine Classic Notebook. I like the hardcover version, it just feels better in the hand for me. The ones that measure 5” x 8.25” are the perfect size and I prefer the lined version with 240 pages, they are just perfect for keeping all my thoughts documented.
Link: https://amzn.to/3iqKVqy

Noise

Anybody who knows me will tell you that sound is my number one sensory issue. This is why I always carry my custom-made earplugs and Bose headphones whenever I go to the city in order to minimize as much man-made noise as possible.

I swear by my Bose Noise Cancelling 700 Headphones! They may be pricey, but they are so light, comfortable and they completely block out any overwhelming and unwanted sounds. Seriously, they have saved my life, or at least my sanity, on so many occasions. I do not have enough good things to say about these headphones.

They were uncomfortable at first as I don’t like the feeling of pressure on my head, and I still can’t wear them for extended periods, but I would literally not be able to survive in the city without them.

Visual Aesthetics

Curating a visual aesthetic helps a lot with managing my energy and my feelings. I keep everything in black/monochrome to calm my visual nerves. Overstimulation from colors and patterns, “visual mess” and disorganization in my environment and surroundings can exhaust me.

Avoiding visual distraction helps save my energy and keeps me mentally focused on the important things I have to do.

I am very sensitive to the feel of fabrics and temperature of the seasons. I am also very particular in ensuring my outfits coordinate well together. Colour and fabric coordination in my wardrobe helps me quickly choose my outfits and avoid decision fatigue.

When it comes to clothes, I resonate greatly with practical and minimalist fashion and lifestyle. This is one of the reasons why I gravitate towards men’s fashion.

Riding Motion

I have come to realize that I really enjoy the rocking motion of riding in swings. There is something about the rocking motion and feeling the wind rush against my face that I just absolutely love.

I also enjoy working out with the pilates reformer machine in my pilates group class. The machine provides such a physically calming effect on me - again, it’s the rocking motion that I really enjoy.

I have also come to love riding horses. Being able to saddle up and ride a horse has always been a lifelong dream of mine since I was a child.

Another really fun thing for me to do is to reach my hands out (or stand up if it’s a convertible) from a car window and enjoy the wind in the countryside - such a great stimulation.

Scents

There is just something about a beautiful scent that helps me release all the anxiety and stress I am going through. I love to go for a walk and smell the scent of Jasmine flowers and white rose bushes. I even have a small potted jasmine plant and I occasionally walk over to my neighbors home to smell their jasmine bush because I love the scent so much.

Sadly, I haven’t found an essential oil that smells like the flower; all oils usually end up smelling nothing like jasmine; so I tend to carry the flower around with me in order to be accompanied by the scent. But, so far, this is the best essential oil I have found that comes anywhere close to the scent of jasmine.
Link: https://amzn.to/2X12BB5

I also enjoy the smell of white rose bushes so I do enjoy the scent of rose essential oil as well. I am constantly trying new rose essential oils.

If I have to be somewhere that makes me feel anxious, or even when I’m stressed at home, I’ll pluck some jasmine flowers and keep them in my pocket, or hold them in my hand and smell them throughout the day.

I also dab some jasmine or rose essential oil on my wrist and neck. It makes me feel so happy and calm, as though I have a friend by my side to help me through my sensory challenges.

Organic scented candles help me too. I love fruity smells, and I’m looking forward to making my own someday, as I want to ensure there are no chemicals that I’m inhaling.

A warm bath in Epsom salt in the evenings helps me relax and eases sore muscles. A great place to start with Epsom salt is ‘Dr. Teal’s Restore & Replenish Pink Himalayan Mineral Soak’.
Link: https://amzn.to/3ytpwCU
The scent of the pink Himalayan salt is so divine. I miss having a bathtub so bad and I hope to move to a place with a bathtub again.

I generally use Dr. Bronner Pure Castille soap for my face, body and hair (also as my laundry detergent, dish soap, etc). Although sometimes I like to treat myself to coconut-papaya body-wash or to Nubian Heritage Coconut Papaya Body Wash Cleanser for Dry, Dull Skin Polish + Renew Hydrating Body Wash 13 oz. Link: https://amzn.to/3yoa1Mq

Drinks

A lovely scented tea helps me too. I like these - WelleCo - Sleep Welle Natural Calming Tea (50 Tea Bags, Refill Pack). Link: https://amzn.to/3fBDWJM

Fresh thyme makes a lovely DIY tea. I learned it from my Aspie buddy, Yelena (https://www.instagram.com/yelena_of_us/) - some fresh thyme stalks steeped in a pot of hot water smells divine and really calms the gut.

I am also enjoying peach tea packets. I love putting the tea in a glass tumbler and storing it in the fridge so I can sip on some chilling peach tea throughout the day in the summer.

Sensory Blanket, Robes & Furry Slippers

I sleep with my “sensory blanket”. There’s just something so comforting about the soft plush feeling of the blanket that wraps me up and calms my senses down just like being cuddled by a robe when I sleep. I use the Exclusivo Mezcla Flannel Fleece Velvet Plush Soft Throw Blanket – 50” x 60” ( White).
Link: https://amzn.to/37kZMfR
I have gifted this to two of my Aspie friends for their birthdays.

I also love wrapping myself in a soft plush thick robe at home. It makes me feel like I am covered and protected. This is also one of the reasons I love wearing jackets.

I love the thought of soft furry slippers and sandals to wear at home and outside (I used to think it looked ridiculous), but I haven’t found one that suits my flat feet.

Self-Care

It’s also so important that I take care of my physical and mental health. Neglecting my health can lead to burnout which takes forever to recover from.

Sleep

Sleeping well is really important. I take naps during the afternoon and go to bed early. If I’m feeling highly productive I would sleep earlier and work from 3 am or 4 am up until 6 am or 7 am, and I can accomplish a whole day’s work in a few hours.

I used to take magnesium supplements after lunch to help me nap and again in the evening to sleep deeply through the night but have recently switched to drinking raw organic cocoa powder which I think contains a good amount of magnesium. It also calms my general sensory anxiety and helps keep my mind quieter. It makes you feel “slightly subdued” but not really sleepy, and I like it because it’s natural.

Meditation helps a lot too. I meditate with my meditation teacher 4-5 times a week.

Nature

Connecting with nature - green, plants, flowers, and going on nature walks and hikes helps me so much. Nature is my life line. I cannot live without it. My favorite flowers for my home are white hydrangeas.

I love to sit on the sand and enjoy the wind and waves of the beach.

Digital Life

I also have to keep an eye on how my body and mind respond to digital devices. As I said before, sensory inputs can become too much for me, so I wear blue light-blocking glasses when I use any digital devices, which helps with any energy drain when using them.

My mobile phone is turned off most of the time and I keep the use of digital devices to the bare minimum and streamline my mode of communication.

I also turn off the Wifi, television, microwaves, and other digital devices before bed. I’m also very sensitive to EMF. If I don’t do this, I wake up tired.

Conclusion

Finding ways to manage sensory overload in my daily life has been a game changer. From simply getting enough sleep to being able to manage my time and be more social, finding ways to overcome sensory overload has helped me stay sane and productive. I hope these tips help you as well no matter what you’re going through. Stay sane, productive and never stop striving for what you want! There’s always a way.

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Thank you for this post Ulises. I am deeply touched by your message. I hope that more and more people will realize that we need to unite now more than ever. To unity and beyond.

If there's one thing we all can learn from AMIRAH, it's that no matter how rigorous or unforgiving this world can be we can still strive to become something more ambitious and greater than who we are today. We all come from different walks of life. Some of us come from South America, Malaysia, Europe, even those who are new to this group are from places where there's no such thing as a utopian society. In this group everyone is welcome. It doesn't matter if you have light skin or dark skin. We are here because we have one thing in common and that is to love our brothers and sisters. We will always welcome our comrades and treat them with the respect and dignity that they deserve. That is the dream we all have in our hearts. We will make sure that AMIRAH'S dreams will become a reality. She started this crusade with a purpose. It's our turn to make sure that her dreams are alive and well. We are her heart and soul and we will be there for her in this life and the next. TO UNITY AND PROSPERITY.

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"We walk in the same sweet sunlight, sleep under the same bright stars;
Our wounds leave the same blood spilling, our wars leave the same cruel scars.” -Tell Me, Amirah

Growing up as a biracial child was an experience in itself. This rollercoaster ride came with its share of both unbridled excitement and overwhelming challenges. Although both my parents are Malaysian, my father is Indian and my mother is Malay. Surrounded by two completely different cultures throughout my life, I have come to appreciate the diverse nature of all people inhabiting this world. I can vividly remember the walls of my house resounding with the tunes of old Hindustani songs as well as traditional Malay songs during my childhood. These precious memories fuel my passion for global cultural unity as a songwriter and voice for those who don’t have one.

I started learning the piano at the tender age of 6. I composed my first instrumental piece at the age of 11. This is why I am a songwriter first, and then a singer. As an artist, I aspire to take a 360 degree approach towards life: I write songs, design my own clothes, and keep learning about the beauty of different cultures. I’m also passionate about documenting various cultures through film, traveling, and personal development. Doing a little bit of everything brings me daily happiness because I am growing as a person. Hence the brand, Amirah360.

My single “You Are My” Land uses gamelan and traditional Chinese drums, while “Tell Me” has Tabla and Tanpura. Both of these songs, through their lyrics, attempt to put forth how crucial global unity is, now more than ever.

We are much more than just the colour of our skin. If only people took the time to know each other, the world would not have so much hatred, but rather an abundance of love and acceptance. It is time to realise the importance of treating all human beings as equal. We must keep atop of mind that we are ONE. With utmost humility, encourage the women of this world, especially those who have the privilege of independence and freedom from oppression, to stand up and use your voices in support of our sisters who do not.

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Thank you so much for the write-up Hakem and The Sun Daily. I appreciate your help with spreading the message of unity.

Bridging differences through songs

Unity and equality shape my music as these values affect me greatly, says singer of Malay-Indian parentage

BY HAKEM HASSAN

newsdesk@thesundaily.com

UNITY is a value close to singer-songwriter Amirah Ali’s (pix) heart. It is even reflected in her music.

For this lass of Malay-Indian parentage, assimilation of different races comes naturally.

“As a child, I would hear my father play Hindi songs while my mother played her keroncong music,” she told theSun in a recent email interview from Los Angeles where she is based.

Her first release, You Are My Land, tells of the pain she feels as Malaysia goes through political challenges. This was followed by Tell Me that questions Malaysians’ identity.

“Values such as unity and equality shape my music because these issues affect me greatly.

“Unity is the driving force in my life and it breaks my heart when I see people hurt or fight each other. Unfortunately, racial polarisation has reared its ugly head,” Amirah said.

“When we focus on our differences, we are divided,” she added.

“However, when we focus on our shared humanity, we see that we are all the same.”

To push her message of unity across, Amirah blends traditional Malaysian sounds with Western pop music.

Amirah began composing music on the piano at the tender age of 11. Her introduction to the gamelan during her teens set her on a path to fuse traditional Asian culture with Western modernity.

Gamelan is a traditional musical form that has its roots in the Malay archipelago.

“It is sad that this beautiful music has been forgotten by the young. It will be a great loss if we do not incorporate it into our culture,” she said.

Her sentiment for her culture and tradition, combined with personal identity issues she faced in the past, led her to embrace her roots.

“When I started writing songs, the big names in the local music scene then were Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza, Nadeera, Atilia Haron and Alif Satar,” she said.

Amirah attended the annual American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers conference that eventually led to an introduction to producer Jeff Bova.

“It was like the doors had finally opened for me. Jeff understood my musical concept instantly.

“Although he is a Grammy Award winning producer, he is extremely humble, patient and kind,” she said.

She moved to Los Angeles permanently last year to record her first album.

The album was scheduled to be released late last year but it was delayed due to the rapid spread of Covid-19 in the United States.

But for Amirah, the delay was a blessing.

Being autistic, she has trouble functioning with background noises and large crowds.

“With the lockdown to curb the pandemic, there is less noise in my surroundings and there are no crowded places,” she said.

Amirah has come a long way. Just recently, the singer-songwriter reached the semi-finals in the International Songwriting Competition and is a finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest.

On her plans for the future, Amirah said she aims to release a few more singles through collaborations with other international East-meets-West artistes.

“I often share behind-the-scenes videos and photos on social media such as Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube (@amirah360).

My YouTube channel includes behind-the-scenes videos of me and my producer working in the studio.”

She said those who would like to help her release songs that inspire people to unite, could sign up as a member of the Amirah Supporter Family.

Article Link: http://ipaper.thesundaily.my/epaper/viewer.aspx?date=03_05_2021&publication=The%20Sun%20Daily#page/6

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I wanted to share with you an exciting and humbling update: my song "Tell Me" was awarded Finalist in The John Lennon Songwriting Contest and “You Are My Land” was awarded Semi-Finalist in the International Songwriting Competition.

“Tell Me” made it to the top 4 in the Inspirational category. The John Lennon Songwriting Contest is a prestigious international annual contest created by Yoko Ono Lennon, and the ISC featured judges such as Dua Lipa, Coldplay, and Tom Waits, so I feel very blessed to say the least.

I treated myself to Nasi Bungkus to celebrate!

Thank you so much to everyone who supports my music and encourages me to keep composing and singing.

Thank you to my amazing producer Jeff Bova, Satnam Ramgotra for playing tabla on my song (such an honour since he plays on many of Hans Zimmer's films) as well Dave Eggar, Amy Powers and Satoshi Naguchi - thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Let's never forget our beautiful, hypnotic traditional instruments like the tabla, tanpura and gamelan. I'll always do my part to keep them alive through my music.

For those of you that have been following and supporting me from the beginning, you know how important the the message of unity is and always will be to me.

To my supporters, I am forever grateful for your encouragement. You put the wind in my sails. I have taken these humble steps forward in my musical career because of you.

To Amirah Supporter Family members, thank you so much for pledging support for my music and the message of unity. With your pledge, I am able to keep going. Thank you so much!

Let's always inspire unity together.

Amirah

P.S. I spoke in my first Instagram Live with Brian Rothschild, Executive Director of the John Lennon contest. Check out our video about "Tell Me" and what I've been up to lately.

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Growing up in Malaysia, I was drawn to the gamelan. The gamelan is my favorite traditional instrument. I love the mesmerizing and hypnotic sound.

Now that making music is my career, I love incorporating the gamelan into my songs. So I wanted people to see what they were hearing. What is the gamelan saron? What are they hearing? I wanted them to know and see what the gamelan is. Maybe even fall in love with this beautiful and mesmerizing instrument, just as I have.

It was a dream come true when I had a custom gamelan saron made for me some time ago. It truly was a labor of love. This is a photo of my custom-built chromatic gamelan saron.

It was a long, drawn-out process. It took a while to find a builder. Once I found one, communication with him was difficult because of his remote location. The next challenge was shipping this heavy instrument to Malaysia. It took forever to arrive from Indonesia.

Before I received my gamelan saron, I used gamelan music samples rather than live gamelan instruments because of the challenges of matching the different tunings and modes with western music. This made it very challenging for me to include gamelan into my music.

I had to develop a solution because I had this vision of fusing traditional instruments in pop music, creating a world of East meets West, a representation of this hybrid and unity of unity, and East met West through music and did not want to compromise it. Since I love the sound of the gamelan, the gamelan saron was central to making this vision come true.

Eventually, my chromatic gamelan saron finally arrived at my home in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The next step was challenging too. I had to pack and transport this instrument halfway across the world to another country, all the way from Malaysia to the USA, and finally to Los Angeles. Talk about an East meets West journey!

My musical East meets West vision was finally coming true through the gift of this unique hybrid instrument. I was thrilled and grateful to be able to play, record, and include my chromatic gamelan saron into my song "You Are My Land." I had to keep pinching myself in the studio to remind myself that this was real.

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A lot of my music is driven by what I've seen society do to inter-racial and inter-religious relationships. Even though we are now in 2021, these relationships are, unfortunately, not always met with happiness or acceptance from family members, friends, and society. Sometimes the challenges due to supposed "differences" cause so much conflict that their love is forcibly broken. Seeing this breaks my heart every time.

There are some happy stories, though, and I recently stumbled on one of them. I asked if I could write and share their inspirational and loving story about unity, and I was thrilled that they agreed. Sandipa and Bjorn are an interracial couple who live in South Africa. I was so inspired by their strong love for each other to overcome the challenges of their cultural differences. They've been married for 7 years and are very happy.

South Africa has a very diverse population. They have 11 official languages and a long history of colonization, immigration, refugees, and foreign laborers. South Africa in 2021 is an exciting place racially and culturally.

Sandipa is of Indian descent and grew up in a traditional Indian household. Bjorn is of German and Portuguese descent and has links to Dutch culture, like many white South Africans. South Africa initiated a form of segregation called "apartheid," which separated the races - how and where they lived, who they were allowed to love, and how they saw each other. It was a tragic system that affected who people were deep inside. So when it was abolished in the early 1990’s, people had to change their hearts, which is easier said than done. And for a long time after 1990, interracial couples were almost taboo and actively discouraged.

Shared faith brought them together, but they admit that their relationship isn't regarded as "normal," even today. Their shared belief system instilled in them love, curiosity, and acceptance of other races. They often mentioned how they are merely interested in the person inside, not the superficial outside.

I have seen far too much trouble being caused for interracial couples, so I asked them what their experience had been.

They looked at each other, thinking and giggling before Sandipa said, "You know, as far as race and culture goes, we hardly experienced anything that was super challenging. I think we just saw each other as very interesting humans. Race didn't come into it."

Ok, but what about challenges from outside the relationship? They both struggled to answer again. Eventually, Sandipa said something interesting. She said, "when we go out together, holding hands or whatever, we still get funny looks from people, especially from other Indians, especially women. It's like they are jealous of me for marrying a white man, or maybe they think I feel superior because I married a white man. The worst is probably the cases where, if I dress up for a special night out, people tend to think I am a gold digger, looking for a white man because he has money." Bjorn replies, "Joke's on them. I am as broke as anyone else!" and they both burst out laughing. The two of them lovingly tease each other about the differences in pronunciation of certain words between their cultures…

Bjorn said something that really resonated with me. "I didn't want to follow the norm and stick with what I know or am familiar with – I needed something different, interesting, exciting. A melting pot in terms of culture."

The biggest challenge surprised me: Their preference for ambient room temperature - He's from Europe and is used to colder weather. She, being of Indian descent, is always cold. Practically, they are at odds with each other all the time, even struggling to sleep in the same room. He can't handle the heat at all. But Sandipa thrives in it. The fact that this is their biggest challenge gave me hope. This is something so small.

Sandipa has pulled through the Indian tendency to "feed" in her marriage. It brings her great pleasure and "glee" to see him happy and eating - even though she would never eat the same rich food herself because she is a bit of a health nut. They argue a bit about Indians being very food-centric, and who's fault it is that he's gained a few in lockdown. More laughing...

He's picked up a few Hindi slang words and uses them liberally, which is funny to hear. Clearly, he sounds quite proud of himself for expanding his vocabulary - another benefit, he says.

Bjorn and Sandipa live on the same property as her traditional Indian parents. So he has literally been thrown into the deep end of an entirely different culture. But he embraced it - because the differences were interesting, intriguing, and he was curious. He did something that wasn't viewed as usual and found the love of his life.

Sandipa says that marrying outside her own race was "the best thing ever." She loves how she's learned so much from him - Bjorn is more outdoorsy and adventurous. She loves how much she's learned about nature and conservation, which was not really focused on her own culture. She says that she was raised to be "in a box" and that being with him taught her how to live outside of it.

There truly is no box. It is just an illusion we created in our minds that keeps us in a mental prison. The sooner we get rid of cultural boxes and their limits, the sooner we can grow and find happiness. Sandipa and Bjorn are proof of this.

I believe that love can transcend the barriers that society places on us. There is only warmth, love, acceptance, and humor in this couple. They embrace the differences in each other. They don't allow it to separate them. They embrace and thrive on the differences. Their individual uniqueness complements the other.

These two made it work in a previously broken society. I have always believed that mixed couples, marriages, and children help elevate and expedite unity. I truly hope that one day everyone can adopt a unity mindset, such as theirs, to help us all move toward a more united future and the planet.

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Thank you to World Speech Day Kuala Lumpur and CV+ for the opportunity to speak and share my thoughts.

My name is Amirah. I'm from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and I’m a singer-songwriter on a mission to unite people through music.

Regarding the theme of "Humanity at a Crossroads", I would like to speak about the importance of unity, especially with the current global pandemic, political and racial turmoil surrounding the globe, from the largest strike for equal economic opportunity in India to the cries for racial equality with Black Lives Matter in the US. These events hold similar universal challenges to what we have been going through in Malaysia.

Equality is the key to unity. And unity is the way of the future.

It is more important now than ever for us to unite.

If we cannot unite and deal with the current global pandemic, how can we hope to face other future global challenges coming our way?

It saddens me greatly when I see people hurt and fight with each other because of the differences in the color of their skin, religion, race, status, nationality, gender, and sexual orientation.

We should all be equal. Equal under the constitution, equal to love and marry who we love regardless of our religion or race, equality in freedom of speech, and to be given equal opportunity in education, government leadership, health, and economics.

Without equality, unity is only lip service.

We all built this country. We all bleed the same color. There is only one race: the human race. There is only one God.

When we see ourselves as separate from each other, it is easy to give in to power, greed, and war. We are not separate. This idea of separation is an illusion. We are all connected to each other and to the planet. We are all one.

This belief is why I was greatly compelled to release my songs "You Are My Land" and "Tell Me" recently. I felt that the message of unity could not wait any longer. In my song "Tell Me", I pose the questions: "Are we our face? Our name? Our religion? Our race?" Do these things define you and me?

At the end of the day, we all want the freedom to be accepted for who we are without hiding any part of our true selves. We all want to live a life of dignity, with equal opportunity and respect as, first and foremost, human beings.

We must remember to always speak up and stand up for the truth no matter how much our voices may shake and our hands may tremble. Always choose to take action and stand up in peaceful ways. Violence cannot extinguish violence. Only peace can defuse violence. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Nonviolence is the weapon of the strong".

Exercise your power to vote, always. It is not a luxury or a right, as many may try to convince you. It is a required responsibility and obligation as a citizen of a country. As we saw in the recent election in the USA, every vote counts, and the choice to not vote causes devastation to people's lives in the USA and worldwide and our only planet. The power to vote does not exist in some countries today. Please do not ever take your power to vote for granted.

Let us unite and stand together as ONE to build a future that our children can be proud of.

Let's remember that there is no separation between us. When we hurt each other, we hurt ourselves.

Let's help each other through our hardships, regardless of our race, religion, nationality, gender, status, or sexual orientation. Let us subscribe to the religion of love not hate. Unity, not separation.

Let's address climate change once and for all. When we hurt our planet, we destroy our only home. There is no duplicate of planet earth. Our mother planet has given so much to us. No amount of profit on any balance sheet can ever amount to the abundance and wealth she has given us. What is good for our planet and humanity, is what will bring us long-term success. People and planet first over culture and profit.

We walk in the same sweet sunlight
Sleep under the same bright stars
Our wounds leave the same blood spilling
Our wars leave the same cruel scars

Let's take responsibility and lead by example. Let's take action, no matter how small.

I believe in our Humanity.

Let's inspire unity together, and may music unite us all always.

Happy World Speech Day.

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