On the first day of Syawal (Oct 11) in 1942, Yussof, then 13, went to perform his Hari Raya Aidilfitri prayers at Victoria Green, the Chinese Recreational Club padang in Burma Road, with about 5,000 other congregants.
Upon finishing their prayers and listening to the Raya sermon delivered by the imam, the congregants were approached by the Japanese governor of Penang, Shotaro Katayama, who then addressed them with a propaganda-laden speech in Japanese.
“After that, all the congregants who were facing in the direction of the Kaabah had to turn around to the direction of Japan and chant ‘Tenno Heika Banzai!’ (Long live the Emperor!) to show loyalty to the Japanese emperor,” said Yussof, who is president of the Penang Malay Association (Pemenang).
He told FMT that the Japanese government in Penang prohibited Muslims from praying in mosques during the Aidilfitri celebrations, ordering them to pray in open spaces like fields instead.
Censorship, propaganda and curfew
The imams’ sermons would be scrutinised to curb the spread of any anti-Japanese propaganda, and the text had to include praise for the Japanese government.
Yussof said the country’s Islamic religious departments were controlled by the Japanese army, with their officials being directly appointed by the Japanese state government.
Firecrackers and bamboo cannons were prohibited, with curfews enforced from midnight to 6am.
Dining on hearty meals during the festive season was never an option as food was scarce and had to be rationed among the local community.
“We were considered lucky if we could have rice once a day. There were times when we had to mix rice with tapioca to fill our stomachs,” he said.
The Muslims were unhappy with the rules set by the Japanese for Hari Raya, but they knew they could not afford to defy the Japanese army officers, who were known for their brutality.
“To openly defy them would result in getting beaten by the Japanese sentries. Or they would be arrested, and their fate would be unknown. You had no idea whether they would come back (home) or not,” he said.
When the Japanese army surrendered in September 1945, Yussof recalled how the people cheered as the soldiers marched out of Penang.
“The Muslim community felt a sense of gratitude following the surrender of Japan as they were finally free to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri in their own way after so long,” he said.
“The suffering that they endured during the Japanese occupation fired up their spirit to fight for Malaya’s independence.”