ANIS -TESSHI2021 E-PROCEEDINGS (1)

Language and Culture: What is Apt for the ESL Classroom

Syakirah Mohammed

Academy of Language Studies
Universiti Teknologi MARA Kedah Branch

[email protected]

Robekhah Harun

Academy of Language Studies
Universiti Teknologi MARA Kedah Branch

[email protected]

ABSTRACT

In the field of linguistic the relationship between language and culture is often examined.
There is an inseparable relation between culture and language since language is viewed as not
only the product of culture, but also is the symbol of culture. Some believe that culture must be
incorporated outright as an essential component of second language learning and teaching, while
some worry that learning both culture and language simultaneously will be burdensome for the
language learners. The paper will examine the differing views on language and culture, present a
review of literature of research studies in the field and reaches some valuable conclusions
particularly concerning the Malaysian ESL Classroom.

Keywords: language, culture, English language teaching, Malaysian ESL classroom.

INTRODUCTION

Language is defined as the system of communication which comprise codes and symbols
and used by humans to store, retrieve, organize, structure and communicate knowledge and
experience (Lee Su Kim, 2003). It is considered the main instrument that allow culture to be
expressed, transmitted and adapted. Language is essential to preserve one’s own culture as well
as to acquire a new culture and new knowledge. Culture, on the other hand is defined as a set of
beliefs, values, norms, customs, traditions, rituals, and a way of life that enable the identification of
one group from another. Condon (1973) defined culture as a way of life which has many different
dimensions including ideas, customs, skills, arts and tools that characterize a group of people in a
given period of time; it is also the beliefs, values, and material objects that create our way of life.

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (Yun & Kennison, 2012) describes the relationship between
language, culture and thought. The core idea is that man’s language moulds his perception of
reality. We see the world in the way that our language describes it, so that the world we live in is a
linguistic construct. Two major components of the hypothesis are linguistic determinism and
linguistic relativity. Linguistic determinism holds the idea that the way one thinks is determined by
the language one speaks, because one can only perceive the world in terms of the categories and
distinctions encoded in the language. Meanwhile, linguistic relativity entails that the categories and
distinctions encoded in one language system are unique to that system and incommensurable with
those of others, therefore, the difference among languages must be reflected in the differences in
the worldviews of their speakers

94

In the field of language learning and teaching, language and culture are intertwined. Gleason
(1961 in Kuo & Lai, 2006) stated that languages are both the products and symbols of cultures.
The development of a language frequently affects the culture associated with it, and cultural
patterns of cognition and custom are often explicitly coded in language. Learning a new language
entails learning a new culture as one of the main reasons to learn another language is to
experience a new culture as well as enriching one’s capability of appreciating various human
experiences. One of the primary motivations of learning a target language is the desire to integrate
into a target culture. This is evident in the case of French language learners in Quebec Canada
who wish to integrate with the French speaking community in the city. Ho (2009) posited that
teaching language and teaching culture cannot be separated as the most successful language
learners learn culture and language simultaneously. Learning a language does of course require
mastery of vocabulary and syntax but language teachers sometimes disregard the value of
teaching culture. As such, the potential of language learning for creating cultural understanding is
not realized.

A critical question arises in terms of English Language Teaching, that is, whether to teach
the target culture along with English. In the field of second language learning and teaching, the
relationship between culture and language emerges as a topic of debate and discussion. Learning
about the place of culture in English language teaching and learning is as much a part of the
language acquisition process as learning the language itself, because of the correlation between
language and culture. Understanding one is necessary for an understanding of the other. A
learner’s culture also plays a significant role in determining acceptance or rejection of learning a
second language Therefore, the importance of cultural context in language teaching is undeniable.

Kramsch (1996) stated that culture manifest itself through language and is constantly
mediated. One of the major ways in which culture manifests itself is through language. Material
culture is constantly mediated, interpreted and recorded — among other things —through
language. Bailey et.al (2008) argue that language mediates classrooms in ways described
metaphorically as transparent, opaque and translucent. Language can provide a reasonably
transparent window into the content, social processes, and relationships in the classroom for
students who understand and control the medium of instruction, language. On the other hand, for
those who have a poor control of language, it can be equally opaque, and provide a hindrance to
access these three areas. However, they further argue that for majority of the students, language
is translucent whereby the content, social processes, and relationships are more-or-less
discernible to both teacher and students depending on the content and on how participation in the
tasks and activities is planned and executed.

It is because of that mediatory role of language that culture becomes the concern of the
language teacher. Culture in the final analysis always linguistically mediated membership into a
discourse community. Language plays a crucial role not only in the construction of culture, but in
the emergence of cultural change. This has led to many proponents arguing for English to be
taught alongside the target culture

TEACHING ENGLISH ALONGSIDE THE TARGET CULTURE

English teaching may occur in a wide variety of contexts in many countries. In inner circle
countries, English is learned as a native language, whereas, in outer circle countries such as India
and Singapore, English has an official role and learned as a second language. And in outer circle
countries such as Japan and China, English is learned as a foreign language. In many contexts,
problems in communicating meaning with the speakers of a society arise when students are
unexposed to that society’s target cultural elements. Bada (2000) stressed the importance of
teaching culture in language classrooms and he proposed that language be taught in context that
emphasize on how the target culture’s native speakers use language under certain situations.

95

Many linguists and researchers agree that ‘culture must be integrated with language teaching’
(Byram & Flemming, 1998, Paige et al., 2003, Pulverness & Tomlison, 2003). Some arguments put
forth for supporting the teaching of target culture alongside English is that language will seem
meaningless if learners know nothing about the people who speak the target language. Other
viewpoint is learning a language without culture will lead to someone who speaks a target
language well but does not understand the language’s social and philosophical content. For
example, in some cases, second or foreign learners could use correct pronunciation and grammar
in writing or speaking English but could not use English to express themselves because they
selected inappropriate language for a specific situation.

Along similar lines, Silberstein (2001) believed grammatical knowledge is not enough to
guarantee good and appropriate communication. Therefore, learning a language also entails
learning about its culture, as culture reflects and transfers deeply embedded knowledge from one
generation to the next through language. McDevitt (2004 in Mahmoud, 2013) went on to say that
learning another language without knowing its culture is impossible, because learning a FL
requires figuring out what other people are like. Studying language exposes learners to the target
culture by nature, as language reflects human nature. It is clear that language is an element of
culture in and of itself. As a result, the connection between language and culture is unavoidable.
Scrivener (2011) emphasises the necessity of providing contexts for the linguistic things being
taught when it comes to language teaching. In many locations, language contextualisation has
become the new trend in language instruction. Contextualization of language is referred to as the
act of placing language items in meaningful and authentic context rather than dealing with it in
isolation and manipulating language for practice.

TEACHING ENGLISH WITHOUT ITS TARGET CULTURE

In contrast to the first view, scholars who adopted this trend tend to avoid teaching target
culture inside English Language classrooms in the countries where English is an institutionalized
variety. Hinkel (1999) stated learners should be encouraged to talk about their culture using such
materials to be aware of their own cultural identity. Overburdening students with new linguistic
content and new cultural information can be a serious obstacle, especially for lower-level students.
Wei (2005) proposed students should be aware of their own culture instead of spreading and
teaching merely American or British culture in English language classrooms.

Mackay (2004) opines that culture plays a role on both the linguistic and the pedagogical
level of language teaching. On a linguistic level, culture plays a role in terms of semantics,
pragmatics, and rhetoric. On a pedagogical level, culture is influential in the development of
materials and the choice of teaching methodology. According to her, on semantic level, questions
whether terms that are highly specific to a target culture or only terms that have developed from
more general western traditions be introduced in the teaching of English as an international
language depends largely on the language learning goals of the students. Asian students who aim
to live in the United States may find it beneficial to learn terms from American culture, although
other students may not have such a requirement. If, on the other hand, the cultural foundation of
English as an international language is not dependent on inner circle countries, there may be no
need to teach lexical words derived from Western tradition.

Mackay (2004) goes on to explain that on pragmatics level, the assumption behind the
teaching of pragmatic appropriateness is that the goal of bilingual English users is to obtain
nativelike competence. However as stated by Kasper (1997, in Mackay, 2004), making this
assumption may lead to these problems – 1. The native speakers do not make up a homogenous
group since individuals, though living in the same country and sharing a shared culture, can have
distinct pragmatic standards. 2. Even if it were desired, aiming to obtain nativelike pragmatic
competence may not be a realistic objective for adult English learners because, like phonology and

96

syntax, there may be maturational limits on acquiring nativelike fluency. 3. In some circumstances,
English-language learners may not have enough quality and quantity of interaction with the second
language to provide the essential input and opportunities for pragmatic competence. All these thus
lead to the conclusion that the goal in the teaching of pragmatic appropriateness is not attainable.

The assumption that the target of language learner is to attain native speakers’ discourse
should also be examined. According to Ballard and Clanchy (1991, in Mackay, 2004), rhetorical
disparities are mostly the result of different cultural approaches to learning. They argue that in
many Asian and Southeast Asian nations, learning processes frequently involve memorising and
imitation, resulting in a knowledge strategy that promotes the preservation of current knowledge. In
contrast to that many Western cultures promote a notional or critical approach to learning, leading
to an expansion of existing knowledge. As such, in many Western cultures, learners are
encouraged to vocalize their own opinion on a particular topic as they consider about the various
possibilities contained in the issues. Due to the different rhetoric, the decision whether to teach the
native culture alongside language should be carefully considered.

INSERTING LOCAL CULTURE INTO ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING

There is also a suggestion that a mixture of target culture and local culture be incorporated in
the teaching of language as this kind of blend could help learners keep their sense of place.
Mahmoud (2013) suggests that this might be done in a comparative format so that students can
think about the contrasts and similarities between the two cultures. Students who are at ease in the
classroom and who openly communicate their thoughts and ideas are better able to learn a new
language when confronted with unknown content. To address the shock when confronted with
unknown content, it would be preferable to incorporate students' native cultures within the English
language learning process. The incorporation of local culture in the classroom environment
reduces the risk of assimilation and alienation, which could be beneficial to English Language
Learning. In terms of language, the local culture has the potential to greatly facilitate and improve
language learning among pupils. As an example, the previous idea aids students in learning
English topics. Mahmoud (2013) further explains that when students are educated in any
language, their culture is unquestionably important. Many aspects in ELT cannot be understood
without understanding culture. For instance, something good in one culture may be bad in a
different culture. To minimise civilization clashes and misunderstandings, an English instructor
should consider the cultural factors of the students.

It is also critical to pay more attention to the location and the role culture plays in the creation
and design of EL textbooks. The structure and design of EL curricula should fairly emphasise both
languages' cultures. As a result, incorporating culture into structures, activities, and exercises
should be done in small doses and in a well-balanced manner. The inclusion of local culture
especially in the beginning stage of English language teaching can help the learners in learning as
it lessens the burden of learning new concepts. New concepts related to the new culture can be
then gradually introduced. Acceptance that students' cultural backgrounds are extremely important
and should be considered an essential tool in EFL learning will lead to greater caution in the
process of selecting texts to be used in class. Some texts are written from a single point of view,
which may differ from a student's culture's beliefs. If they believe their own beliefs or culture are
being denied in the new cultural context, some students may be uncomfortable with these texts. As
a result, using such texts in the classroom may discourage students from learning a new language.
(Mahmoud, 2013). To avoid discouragement, students’ local culture should be accepted,
considered, and recognized and utilized as a content in the new language they are learning. Along
similar lines Kumaravadivelu (2008) opines that a critical consideration of materials is necessary if
how they address culture is to be identified, whether they contain biases or attempt to influence

97

readers by communicating dominant thoughts instead of helping learners differentiate between
thoughts and ideas.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, there are great matters to consider in deciding which culture to be taught
alongside English in the language classroom. Each view has its merit and there are truths in each
of the claims. There is a necessity for target culture to be included as a well-versed knowledge of
the target culture will enable one to be a citizen of the world who understand the language rich
nuances, therefore able to communicate within the subtlety of the language, not only
understanding humour but also partake in the humour, who can adeptly use language to convey
meaning both at literal and figurative sense. However, there is also denying that inserting local
culture is also very important to give the students the ability to express their own view of the world
in the new language. This is especially important considering that there is a higher chance for the
students to use the English language to interact with non-native speakers of the language rather
than with the native speakers. For that, they need to be able to describe the aspects of their own
culture - their set of beliefs, values, norms, customs, traditions, rituals, and a way of life that enable
their identification as a unique group.

In term of research implication, more studies need to be conducted to study the effect of
teaching target culture vs local culture in the English language classroom and vice versa. There is
a need to determine to what extend the learners should be able to understand the native speaker
convention of language use if the target culture is taught in the English language classroom. If we
are to adopt the third view that suggest local culture be introduced at the initial stage and target
culture be gradually introduced at a later stage, then there should be a study to identify what level
or age is considered suitable for the introduction of the target culture. Finally, there is a need to
determine what kind of materials to be used when deciding on the culture to be taught alongside
the target language. At present, in the Malaysian context especially, there is still a dearth of
research in the above-mentioned areas.

REFERENCES

Bada, E. (2000). Culture in ELT. Cukurova University Journal of Social Sciences, 6, 100-110

Bailey, F., Burkett, B., & Freeman, D. (2008). The Mediating Role of Language in Teaching and
Learning: A Classroom Perspective. Spolsky/Handbook, 606–625.

Byram, M., & Fleming, M. (1998). Language learning in intercultural perspective: Approaches
through drama and ethnography. Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press.

Condon, E. C. (1973). Introduction to Cross Cultural Communication. New Brunswick, NJ: Rogers
University Press

Hinkel, E. (1999). Culture in Second Language Teaching and Learning.

Ho, S. (2009). Addressing Culture in EFL Classrooms: The Challenge of Shifting from a Traditional
to an Intercultural Stance. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching
Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 63–76
98

Kramsch (1996) The Cultural Component of Language Testing. Language Culture and
Curriculum (2):83-92

Kuo, M., & Lai, C. (2006). Linguistics across Cultures: The Impact of Culture on Second Language
Learning. Journal of Foreign Language Instruction v1 n1

Lee Su Kim (2003). Exploring The Relationship Between Language, Culture and Identity. Gema
Online. Journal of Language Studies. Vol 3, No 2

Mahmoud, M. M. A. (2013). Islamic Arabic culture in English language textbooks. Saarbrücken,
Germany: Lambert Academic.

McKay, S. L. (2004). Teaching English as an international language: The role of culture in Asian
contexts. The Journal of Asia TEFL, 1(1), 1-22.

Paige, R. M., Jorstad, H. L., Siaya, L., Klein, F., Colby, J., Lange, D., & Paige, R. (2003). Culture
learning in language education. Culture as the core: Perspectives on culture in second
language learning, 173-236.

Pulverness, A., & Tomlinson, B. (2003). Materials for cultural awareness. Developing materials for
language teaching, 426-438.

Scrivener, J. (2011). Learning Teaching: The Essential Guide to English Language Teaching (3rd
Edition). Macmillan

Silberstein, S. (2001). Sociolinguistics. In Carter, R., Nunan, D. (Eds.), The Cambridge guide to
teaching English to speakers of other languages (pp. 101-106). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge
University Press.

Sowden, C. (2007). Culture and the good teacher in the EL Classroom. ELT Journal, 6, 304-310
Wei, Y. (2005). Integrating Chinese Culture with TEFL in Chinese Classroom. Sino-US English

Teaching, 2(7), 55-58.
Yun S., Kennison S.M. (2011) Whorfian Hypothesis. In: Goldstein S., Naglieri J.A. (eds)
Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA

99

Life is Short, Don`t Take for Granted:
The Flood Mitigation by Wetland

Syazuani binti Mohd Shariff1,2

1 Faculty of Applied Science,
Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Negeri Sembilan,

Kampus Kuala Pilah,72000,
Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

[email protected]

2Faculty of Science and Marine Environment,
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu,
21300, Kuala Nerus,
Terengganu, Malaysia
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

Due to the fact that the flood event occurred as a result of land reclamation, the exposed soil
is easily eroded by rain, as the water velocity has not been reduced by the absence of vegetation.
These soil particles easily make their way to the stream, shallowing it. As a result, the river cannot
retain the excess water, making this the worst possible flood scenario. Wetland is critical in this
situation because it can absorb flood water. Not only that, wetlands also perform additional functions
such as groundwater recirculation and drainage, flood control, sediment stabilization, and water
quality. However, this habitat is now being depleted as a result of anthropogenic activities. Thus, the
aim of this paper is to emphasize the importance of wetlands in flood mitigation. This benefit
designates the wetland as a critical area that is supposedly shielded from destructive activities.

Keywords: flood mitigation, wetland, ecosystem services, anthropogenic activities.

INTRODUCTION

Wetlands are regions where soil meets freshwater during varying periods of time throughout
the year. This can benefit marine and terrestrial species. Sustained water presence creates
conditions that encourage the growth of specially adapted plants (hydrophytes), enabling the
development of characteristic (hydro) soils within the wetlands.

According to Hollis and Thompson (1993), the wetland floodplains can minimize flooding
events, reducing their harmful impact. Additionally, these can simultaneously function as a reservoir
by absorbing floodwater before returning it to the downstream regions during dry periods (Bucher et
al., 1993; Chen et al., 2019). As supported by Chen and Lu (2003), this region is referred to as the
earth kidney, because it can control local and global habitat through traps, extracting hazardous toxic
waste. Thus, the aim of this paper is to emphasize the importance of wetlands in flood mitigation. As
described by Maltby (1991), wetlands carry additional roles, including in groundwater regeneration
and drainage, in the capacity to alter flood flow, in sediment stabilization and water quality.

Generally, at present a number of individuals agree with the idea that the wetland can help
to minimize floods, following recent empirical and modelling studies, according to Acreman and
Holden (2013) and Kadykalo and Findlay (2016). While some research has been done analysing
wetland flow control, some investigators argue that a significant effect does not exist: they are still

100

striving to quantify the potential aiding action for minimising a flood event, since the wetland itself
can increase the flood peaks (Bengston and Padmanabhan 1999; Bullock and Acreman 2003;

Ehsanzadeh et al., 2012; Kadykalo and Findlay 2016).
Notably, this statement is denied by the Ramsar Bureau, which claims that the wetland form

of soil exercises significant effects on flood control, with more than 1.5x104 m3 of surface water
storage in the US. Specifically, the River Charles analysis revealed that over US$17million worth of
damage was documented as a result of 3400 hm2 wetland deterioration (Mitsch and Gosselink,
2000). Additionally, a case study, carried out in the Yangtze River at the end of the 1980s,
demonstrated that severe floods resulted in the loss of thousands of human lives, as well as in
property damage costing about US$36 billion (Liyun, 2019). Clearly, this validates the concept that

wetland conditions are effective in minimizing storm surge effects, therefore, reducing potentially
significant property damage (Edward, 2013).

Furthermore, despite this positive characteristic, in Asia, Europe and North America, wetland
areas have experienced a continuous and rapid decline (Davidson, 2014; Hu et al., 2017). This
problematic sequence of events has been illustrated by Liyun et al. (2019) and by Mitsch and
Gosselink (2015), who concluded that five transition factors exist and are responsible for the loss of
wetlands: the transition of wetlands into urban areas, the expansion into grasslands, the

transformation into croplands, the transformation into agricultural wetlands and the internal
transformation of wetlands. Recently, wetland attenuation has gained significant attention, since this
situation appears to be intensified by climate change, as global inland and marine/coastal wetlands
have been declining by about 35% from 1970 to 2015 (Gulbin et al., 2019; Ramsar convention on
Wetland, 2018).

Undoubtedly, the wetlands diminishing numbers will weaken hydrological regulatory services
and increase flood risks, increasing downstream variability and decreasing groundwater recharge
and baseline flow (Evenson et al., 2015; Evenson et al., 2018; Lee et al., 2018; Ameli and Creed,

2019; Yeo et al., 2019). Moreover, flood events can cause grassland changes from being CH4 sink
to becoming CH4 source (Kirsche et al., 2013; Sánchez-Rodríguez et al., 2019a). During different
stages of a flood and drying process, the increase in CH4 and N2O may escalate the overall global
warming potential (CO2 equivalent emissions) of intensively controlled grasslands: undoubtedly, it
has been shown that floods have increased the grasslands global warming capacity from about 21kg
to 2790kg CO2 C equivalent/ha (Sánchez-Rodríguez et al., 2019a; Sánchez-Rodríguez et al., 2019b)
As stated above, there are five characteristics of wetland that will influence a flooding event. Other

than the excessive amount of water flowing through the soil, floods may occur following a response
to a number of hydrological processes, including high tidal rates, direct precipitation and high
groundwater levels (Falconer et al., 2009).

The first characteristic identifies the wetland’s location. Typically, the upland region is
saturated with little water storage capacity and has the potential to trigger flooding when the
precipitation rises at altitudes, when compared to the downstream area that can control the flooding.
Certain areas are in the endorheic basin, which means that they are able to absorb and retain local

precipitation. Here, runoff and streams not directly connected to rivers will have little impact on the
river floods (Acreman and Holden, 2013). Three other factors will affect wetlands and can have a
positive and negative effect: timing, frequency, and duration of the flood. Apart from that, the soil's
empty and dry surface would allow new precipitation to be deposited, as opposed to the complete
hollow surface that contributes to the runoff of the floods (Acreman and Holden, 2013). The key risk
of flooding may emerge from low soil infiltration, which will generate a higher surface runoff across
the land into the surface water reservoir (streams, rivers, lakes) (Nedkov and Burkhad, 2012). The
surface runoff occurrence can be minimized by increasing soil infiltration into storage and by slowing

the release of water from canopies, water sources, soil and aquifers.
The second considerable feature is the wetlands topography that is capable to sustain

surface water and to reduce floods indirectly, together with the third attribute characteristic: water
will migrate faster on the present macro-porous soil, which characteristics are affected by the grain

101

size, by the organic matter content, by the hydraulic conductivity, by its capacity to absorb water and
by the speed of water flow through the soil (Acreman and Holden, 2013; Stürck et al., 2014). As
illustrated by Jon and Jackie (2015), different soil types exercise a divergent kind of impact, since
they have varying moisture storage capacity, as a result of their distribution of particle size, porosity,
degree of compaction, soil density, organic content and other factors. Specifically, sandy soils are
coarser in structure and possess a higher drainage capability. Therefore, these could prevent
erosion, which, in turn, could make the flood worse. In comparison, a soil, containing a higher amount
of silt and clay, has a higher water retaining ability until it enters the soil.

The fourth feature defines the state of soil moisture, which, together with the previous
condition, will further control the soils absorption potential during floods. Finally, the drainage system
of the upland wetland would increase the wetland flood, due to the destruction of the vegetation,
contributing to friction loss and resulting in increased overland runoff. The roughness of the
floodplain does impact the rapidity of the flow (conveyance): a rougher floodplain leads to a slower
runoff. Kelly (2012) observed that the vegetation can act as a roughness promoting factor in the
surface water flow, slowing down the water and preventing its entering the canal too quickly.
Additionally, the vegetation helps disperse water excesses through its physiological
evapotranspiration process. Nedkov and Burkhard (2012) have confirmed that natural ecosystems
can manage floods by redirecting or absorbing precipitation, reducing surface runoff and river
discharge, and reducing their damaging impact by providing excess water retention space, thus
reducing flood volumes and destructive force. Consequently, this reduces the floodplain attenuation
of the flood wave. Therefore, a low water level should be preserved throughout the flood season, in
order to increase soil water storage capacity to mitigate floods (Acreman and Holden, 2013).

In addition to soil storage capacity, the water runoff can be minimized by an increased
absorption through the vegetation root networks or by the accumulation of precipitation on surfaces,
such as leaves via transpiration, roots, trunks and tree stems, as well as on the grassy layer and
litters at ground level, before the occurrence of evaporation into the atmosphere (Attarod et al., 2015;
Bradshaw et al., 2017). As reported by Berland et al. (2017), immediately following a storm, the
water lost from the canopy intersection is important, as the transpiration process can maintain soil
moisture for weeks between storm events.

The capacity of the canopy water storage system is influenced by the tree structure, the
climate, the precipitation intensity and the species. The Gleason`s hypothesis of succession
demonstrates that different types of plants possess a diverging degree of tolerance during flooding
(Valk, 1981). The water depth and the flooding length and frequency represent vital variables
affecting the growth of wetland plants, as documented by Magee and Kentula (2005). According to
with Llyod et al. (1993) and Niu (2012), usually plant communities have been ecologically employed
for the classification of wetlands acknowledging their surroundings, which include hydrological and
morphological features, temperature, nutrient availability, soil heterogeneity, salinity and redox
potential. Nevertheless, a flood event is not a reliable indicator of the composition of plant
communities, according to Casanova and Brock (2000), but it is likely to react to historical flooding
events.

According to Carter and Grace (1990), wetland vegetation could display a dynamic reaction
as a result of floods. Its antagonist reaction to floods should be taken into account further, as a
dynamic relationship could exist between flood tolerance and the opposite (competitiveness).
Because of their inverse association possibility, the flood tolerance could exercise a competitive
capability itself (Kercher and Zedler, 2004). According to Cronk and Fennessy (2001), usually, the
competitive potential is associated with plant characteristics, including the biomass production, the
plant height, the reproductive performance, the growth rate, the nutrient absorption efficiency and
the ability to oxygenate the root zone. Furthermore, Gaudet and Keddy (1988) have suggested that
the plant's biomass and height are linked to the competitiveness of many characteristics.

102

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the protection of the wetlands should be promoted. Their demise would
represent a significant loss, which may be inevitable without enacting a concerted attempt to reverse
the increase in wetland degradation and devastation. It is suggested that authorities and legislators
should integrate wetlands management and restoration into policy programmes, investing in
sustainability. Moreover, an awareness programme is required to inform the public about the critical
importance of this increasingly declining ecosystem: without the wetlands, land management and
flood prevention would be unpredictable.

REFERENCES

Acreman, M., & Holden, J. (2013). How Wetlands Affect Floods. Wetlands, 33(5), 773–786.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-013-0473-2

Ameli, A. A., & Creed, I. F. (2019). Does Wetland Location Matter When Managing Wetlands for
Watershed-Scale Flood and Drought Resilience? JAWRA Journal of the American Water
Resources Association, 55(3), 529–542. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-
1688.12737

Attarod, P., Sadeghi, S. M. M., Pypker, T. G., Bagheri, H., Bagheri, M., & Bayramzadeh, V. (2015).
Needle-leaved trees impacts on rainfall interception and canopy storage capacity in an arid
environment. New Forests, 46(3), 339–355. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-014-9464-2

Barbier, E. B., Georgiou, I. Y., Enchelmeyer, B., & Reed, D. J. (2013). The Value of Wetlands in
Protecting Southeast Louisiana from Hurricane Storm Surges. PLoS ONE, 8(3).
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0058715

Berland, A., Shiflett, S. A., Shuster, W. D., Garmestani, A. S., Goddard, H. C., Herrmann, D. L., &
Hopton, M. E. (2017). The role of trees in urban stormwater management. Landscape and
Urban Planning, 162, 167–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2017.02.017

Bradshaw, C. J. A., Sodhi, N. S., Peh, K. S.-H., & Brook, B. W. (2007). Global evidence that
deforestation amplifies flood risk and severity in the developing world. Global Change Biology,
13(11), 2379–2395. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2007.01446.x

Bullock, A., & Acreman, M. (2003). The role of wetlands in the hydrological cycle. Hydrology and
Earth System Sciences, 7(3), 358–389. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-7-358-2003

Byun, C., Nam, J. M., & Kim, J. G. (2017). Effects of flooding regime on wetland plant growth and
species dominance in a mesocosm experiment. Plant Ecology, 218(5), 517–527.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-017-0707-0

Casanova, M. T., & Brock, M. A. (2000). How do depth, duration and frequency of flooding influence
the establishment of wetland plant communities? Plant Ecology, 147(2), 237–250.
https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009875226637

Chen, W., He, B., Nover, D., Lu, H., Liu, J., Sun, W., & Chen, W. (2019). Farm ponds in southern
China: Challenges and solutions for conserving a neglected wetland ecosystem. Science of
the Total Environment, 659, 1322–1334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.394

103

Chew, J., Zhu, L., Nielsen, S., Graber, E., Mitchell, D. R. G., Horvat, J., Mohammed, M., Liu, M., van
Zwieten, L., Donne, S., Munroe, P., Taherymoosavi, S., Pace, B., Rawal, A., Hook, J., Marjo,

C., Thomas, D. S., Pan, G., Li, L., … Fan, X. (2020). Biochar-based fertilizer: Supercharging
root membrane potential and biomass yield of rice. Science of The Total Environment, 713,
136431. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.136431

Davidson, N. C. (2014). How much wetland has the world lost? Long-term and recent trends in global
wetland area. Marine and Freshwater Research, 65(10), 934–941.
https://doi.org/10.1071/MF14173

Denmead, O. T., Macdonald, B. C. T., Bryant, G., Naylor, T., Wilson, S., Griffith, D. W. T., Wang, W.
J., Salter, B., White, I., & Moody, P. W. (2010). Emissions of methane and nitrous oxide from

Australian sugarcane soils. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 150(6), 748–756.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2009.06.018

Downard, R., Endter-Wada, J., & Kettenring, K. M. (2014). Adaptive wetland management in an
uncertain and changing arid environment. Ecology and Society, 19(2).
https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-06412-190223

Evenson, G. R., Golden, H. E., Lane, C. R., & D’Amico, E. (2015). Geographically isolated wetlands
and watershed hydrology: A modified model analysis. Journal of Hydrology, 529(P1), 240–

256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.07.039

Evenson, G. R., Golden, H. E., Lane, C. R., McLaughlin, D. L., & D’Amico, E. (2018). Depressional
wetlands affect watershed hydrological, biogeochemical, and ecological functions. Ecological
Applications, 28(4), 953–966. https://doi.org/10.2307/26623200

Falconer, R. H., Cobby, D., Smyth, P., Astle, G., Dent, J., & Golding, B. (2009). Pluvial flooding: new

approaches in flood warning, mapping and risk management. Journal of Flood Risk

Management, 2(3), 198–208. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-

318X.2009.01034.x

Gómez-Baggethun, E., Tudor, M., Doroftei, M., Covaliov, S., Năstase, A., Onără, D. F., Mierlă, M.,

Marinov, M., Doroșencu, A. C., Lupu, G., Teodorof, L., Tudor, I. M., Köhler, B., Museth, J.,

Aronsen, E., Ivar Johnsen, S., Ibram, O., Marin, E., Crăciun, A., & Cioacă, E. (2019). Changes

in ecosystem services from wetland loss and restoration: An ecosystem assessment of the

Danube Delta (1960–2010). Ecosystem Services, 39(August).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2019.100965

Guan, X. J., Westbrook, C. J., & Spence, C. (2010). Shallow soil moisture - Ground thaw interactions

and controls - Part 1: Spatiotemporal patterns and correlations over a subarctic landscape.
Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 14(7), 1375–1386. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-14-
1375-2010

Gulbin, S., Kirilenko, A. P., Kharel, G., & Zhang, X. (2019). Wetland loss impact on long term flood
risks in a closed watershed. Environmental Science and Policy, 94(January), 112–122.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2018.12.032

Gunnell, K., Mulligan, M., Francis, R. A., & Hole, D. G. (2019). Evaluating natural infrastructure for

flood management within the watersheds of selected global cities. Science of The Total
Environment, 670, 411–424. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.212

Hu, S., Niu, Z., Chen, Y., Li, L., & Zhang, H. (2017). Global wetlands: Potential distribution, wetland

104

loss, and status. Science of The Total Environment, 586, 319–327.
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.02.001

Kercher, S. M., & Zedler, J. B. (2004). Flood tolerance in wetland angiosperms: A comparison of
invasive and noninvasive species. Aquatic Botany, 80(2), 89–102.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2004.08.003

Kirschke, S., Bousquet, P., Ciais, P., Saunois, M., Canadell, J. G., Dlugokencky, E. J., Bergamaschi,
P., Bergmann, D., Blake, D. R., Bruhwiler, L., Cameron-Smith, P., Castaldi, S., Chevallier, F.,
Feng, L., Fraser, A., Heimann, M., Hodson, E. L., Houweling, S., Josse, B., … Zeng, G. (2013).
Three decades of global methane sources and sinks. Nature Geoscience, 6(10), 813–823.
https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1955

Lee, S., Yeo, I., Lang, M. W., Sadeghi, A. M., Mccarty, G. W., Moglen, G. E., & Evenson, G. R.
(2018). Assessing the cumulative impacts of geographically isolated wetlands on watershed
hydrology using the SWAT model coupled with improved wetland modules Assessing the
cumulative impacts of geographically isolated wetlands on watershed hydrology using the
SWAT model coupled with improved wetland modules. Journal of Environmental
Management, 223(June), 37–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.06.006

Lloyd, J. W., Tellam, J., Rukin, N., & Lerner, D. (1993). Wetland Vulnerability in East Anglia: a
Possible Conceptual Framework and Generalized Approach. Journal of Environmental
Management, 37, 87–102.

Magee, T. K., & Kentula, M. E. (2005). Response of wetland plant species to hydrologic conditions.
Wetlands Ecology and Management, 13(2), 163–181. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-004-
6258-x

Maltby, E. (1991). Wetland management goals: wise use and conservation. Landscape and Urban
Planning, 20(1–3), 9–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/0169-2046(91)90085-Z

Martínez-Espinosa, C., Sauvage, S., Al Bitar, A., Green, P. A., Vörösmarty, C. J., & Sánchez-Pérez,
J. M. (2021). Denitrification in wetlands: A review towards a quantification at global scale.
Science of the Total Environment, 754. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142398

Mitsch, W. J., Bernal, B., & Hernandez, M. E. (2015). Ecosystem services of wetlands. International
Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services and Management, 11(1), 1–4.
https://doi.org/10.1080/21513732.2015.1006250

Mitsch, W. J., & Gosselink, J. G. (2000). The value of wetlands: importance of scale and landscape
setting. Ecological Economics, 35(1), 25–33. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-
8009(00)00165-8

Nedkov, S., & Burkhard, B. (2012). Flood regulating ecosystem services—Mapping supply and
demand, in the Etropole municipality, Bulgaria. Ecological Indicators, 21, 67–79.
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2011.06.022

Niu, Z. G., Zhang, H. Y., Wang, X. W., Yao, W. B., Zhou, D. M., Zhao, K. Y., Zhao, H., Li, N. N.,
Huang, H. B., Li, C. C., Yang, J., Liu, C. X., Liu, S., Wang, L., Li, Z., Yang, Z. Z., Qiao, F.,
Zheng, Y. M., Chen, Y. L., … Gong, P. (2012). Mapping wetland changes in China between
1978 and 2008. Chinese Science Bulletin, 57(22), 2813–2823. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-
012-5093-3

105

Pour, S. H., Wahab, A. K. A., Shahid, S., Asaduzzaman, M., & Dewan, A. (2020). Low impact
development techniques to mitigate the impacts of climate-change-induced urban floods:
Current trends, issues and challenges. Sustainable Cities and Society, 62(February), 102373.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2020.102373

Sánchez-Rodríguez, A. R., Hill, P. W., Chadwick, D. R., & Jones, D. L. (2019). Typology of extreme
flood event leads to differential impacts on soil functioning. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 129,
153–168. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2018.11.019

Sánchez-Rodríguez, A. R., Nie, C., Hill, P. W., Chadwick, D. R., & Jones, D. L. (2019). Extreme flood
events at higher temperatures exacerbate the loss of soil functionality and trace gas emissions
in grassland. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 130, 227–236.
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2018.12.021

Schoonover, J. E., & Crim, J. F. (2015). An Introduction to Soil Concepts and the Role of Soils in
Watershed Management. Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education, 154(1), 21–
47. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1936-704X.2015.03186.x

Stürck, J., Poortinga, A., & Verburg, P. H. (2014). Mapping ecosystem services: The supply and
demand of flood regulation services in Europe. Ecological Indicators, 38, 198–211.
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2013.11.010

van der Valk, A. G. (1981). Succession in Wetlands: A Gleasonian Approach. Ecology, 62(3), 688–
696. https://doi.org/10.2307/1937737

Wu, Y., Zhang, G., Rousseau, A. N., Xu, Y. J., & Foulon, É. (2020). On how wetlands can provide
flood resilience in a large river basin: A case study in Nenjiang river Basin, China. Journal of
Hydrology, 587(April), 125012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125012

Xu, Y., Wang, Y., Li, S., Huang, G., & Dai, C. (2018). Stochastic optimization model for water
allocation on a watershed scale considering wetland’s ecological water requirement.
Ecological Indicators, 92, 330–341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.02.019

Yeo, I. Y., Lang, M. W., Lee, S., McCarty, G. W., Sadeghi, A. M., Yetemen, O., & Huang, C. (2019).
Mapping landscape-level hydrological connectivity of headwater wetlands to downstream
waters: A geospatial modeling approach - Part 1. Science of the Total Environment,
653(November), 1546–1556. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.238

Zhang, L., Zhen, Q., Cheng, M., & Ouyang, Z. (2019). The main drivers of wetland changes in the
beijing-tianjin-hebei region. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public
Health, 16(14), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16142619

106

Mobile Journalism in Indonesia: Practices and Challenges

Sofia Aunul

Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
[email protected]

Shahrul Nazmi Sannusi

Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

Mobile journalism, also called “mojo” has now been inevitable as a new form journalistic
innovation demanding updated competence and work practice since it sometimes implements
multimedia solo reporting in which the smartphone serves as a complete production unit for
collecting, editing, and disseminating news in multi platforms. Although in infrastructure Indonesia
in 2020 was in fourth position after China, India and The United States of internet users, mobile
journalism is leisurely practiced in order to fulfil the demand of mobile-news content and the most
users are millennials (age 24 to 39) as 70.4 percent of millennials access digital media to find out
the latest news supported by easy access, multi-tasking, and speed which are the main reasons for
selecting digital media. This article aims to explore mobile journalism practice about how the
journalist/ reporter shift their mindset of their job description and workflow and the challenges they
face in adopting mojo in terms of using the technology from collection to dissemination.

Keywords: mobile journalism, journalism practice.

INTRODUCTION

Having a mobile device continuously within an arm’s reach has changed everyday life. A
retrospective glance shows that the mobile phone has enjoyed a broad diffusion around the globe
during the 1990s and 2000s. This development has made possible mobile communication at any
time and any place. A study from Ling (2012) as cited from Westlund (2015) stated that mobile device
functioning as a tool for interpersonal communication—via voice calls and texting — has become a
taken-for-granted part of everyday life. Until recently the diffusion of mobile phones was twice as
high as the diffusion of Internet access, but with mobile phones having become equipped with
Internet functionality this gap is losing its relevance. Feature phones have increasingly been
displaced by more and more smart mobile devices equipped with advanced hardware and software
that facilitate not only communication but also the production and consumption of media. These
personal and portable mobile devices provide ubiquitous connectedness through computer-like
functionalities (Westlund, 2015).

As a release from Hootsuite (We Are Social & Hootsuite, 2020), there was an increase of
internet users by 25 million (+17%) and total of internet penetration that stood at 64% and 175.4
million internet users who spent their time using the internet 7 hours and 59 minutes. That research
is updated in a survey by the Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association (APJII) for the 2019-
quarter II / 2020 that the number of internet users in Indonesia reached 196.7 million. This number
increased by 23.5 million or 8.9% compared to last 2018 (Kominfo, 2020). Moreover, Indonesia is in

107

fourth rank of the large number of internet users right after China, India and The United States (We

Are Social & Hootsuite, 2020) and the most users are millennials (age 24 to 39) as 70.4 percent of
millennials access digital media to find out the latest news supported by easy access, multi-tasking,

and speed which are the main reasons for selecting digital media (Utomo, 2019).

The shift of the audience using smartphones to search news has been affecting the journalists
as technology and information development brings the impact of news production that this stage

requires the demands of journalists to adapt to these changes. They not only have to be able to write
news, photograph, make video but also to do various works such as understanding the character of

the audience (Adzkia, 2015). Journalists have to adopt mobile journalism (Mojo) -- digital storytelling

form where smart devices are used to shoot, edit and publish while still applying journalistic principles
and ethics. Prestianta (2020) argued that even though there is an increase in the need for mobile -

based news content, the adoption of Mojo practice is still not developed. However, this paper is
aimed to describe the practice and challenges of mobile journalism (Mojo) in Indonesia.

MOBILE JOURNALISM

Mobile Journalism (Mojo) was first introduced by Oscar Westlund which he later continued
to conduct research related to the development of cellular/mobile telephone technology and
journalism (Puspita & Suciati, 2020). As seen below is the research development of Mojo conducted
by Oscar Westlund.

Table 1 Mojo Research by Oscar Westlund

No Year Objectives Findings

1 2008 an adoption of journalism practices in the - Mobile device did not show significant

production of multimedia content—from impacts as multimedia devices

voice-based communication and text into - There was an increase in referring to the

multimedia devices. trend of using devices.

- Early adopters were generally male and

aged 15 to 49 years.

- They used mobile devices (alternative

medium) as a news medium.

2 2014 Research related to cellular telephone - News institutions have also developed

technology, multimedia and journalism. journalistic content by developing

This time, Westlund uses the term "Mobile applications and sites for mobile.

News" or cellular news to explain the touch - The term mobile news refers to mass

screen technology on mobile devices has media practices conducting different

changed the production and consumption approaches in news production and

of news services. services.

- Mobile news includes mobile news

platforms, mobile journalists, and citizen

journalism in the era of mobile media.

3 2015 Mobile news consumption - People now use mobile and social media

to access news.

Journalism practices adopted cellular/mobile telephone technology in news production from
voice-based communication and text to multimedia and this based on a survey between 2005 to

2007 and the results shows that the respondents in this case were categorized as early adopters

aged 15 to 49 years used mobile devices to search news reports. The use of mobile devices did not
show significant impact as multimedia devices but there was an increasing number referring to the

trend of using mobile devices (Westlund, 2008).

108

Later in 2013, there was research related to cellular/ mobile telephone technology,
multimedia and journalism. The term mobile news explains how mobile devices have changed not
only the production but also the consumption of news productions and services. The research found
that Accessing news through mobile has become an attraction in the daily life of the community.
News institutions have also developed journalistic content by developing applications and sites for
mobile. The term mobile news refers to mass media practices conducting different approaches in
using mobile devices for reportage from the field, and a special approach to what type of content will
be published for mobile devices. Mobile News includes the form of journalism for mobile news
platforms, mobile journalists, and citizen journalism in the era of mobile media (Westlund, 2014) as
cited in Westlund (2019) and from the same source it was found that research conducted in 2015
resulted mobile and social media have become key gateways for news accessing among citizens
around the world.
MOBILE JOURNALISM PRACTICES

109





Utomo, W. P. (2019). Indonesia Millennial Report. In IDN Research Institute (Vol. 01). Retrieved
from https://www.idntimes.com/indonesiamillennialreport2019

Verdiani, D. P. (2020). Mobile journalism sebagai jurnalisme baru (Studi kasus terhadap

Kompas.com) (Universitas Multimedia Nusantara). Retrieved from

https://kc.umn.ac.id/id/eprint/15182

We Are Social & Hootsuite. (2020). Indonesia Digital report 2020. In Global Digital Insights. Retrieved
from https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2020-global-digital-overview

Westlund, O. (2008). From mobile phone to mobile device: news consumption on the go. Canadian
Journal of Communication, 33(3).
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.22230/cjc.2008v33n3a2004

Westlund, O. (2015). News consumption in an age of mobile media: Patterns, people, place, and
participation. Mobile Media and Communication, 3(2), 151–159.
https://doi.org/10.1177/2050157914563369

Westlund, O. (2019). Mobile Journalism. The International Encyclopedia of Journalism Studies, 1–
8. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118841570.iejs0191

Yudhapramesti, P. (2015). Jurnalis Dan Jurnalisme Dalam Fenomena Kontemporer. Jurnal
Komunikasi, 10(1), 89–98. https://doi.org/10.20885/komunikasi.vol10.iss1.art9

112

Mural Art’s Sustainability and Prospective in the
Urban Landscape Environment

Muhammad Falihin Jasmi

Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Surveying
Universiti Teknologi MARA Perak Branch, Malaysia

[email protected]

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a review on the sustainability of mural art movement as one of the
approaches of public art incorporation in the urban landscape environment. The methodology
occupied for this paper is predominantly through a comprehensive analysis of secondary data from
scholarly articles, journals and academic publications. This study examines the concerning issues
that occurred from the current inclination of mural art as a part of the city's identity enrichment, which
then directed to the sustainability of the art pieces throughout the days. This paper emphasizes the
challenges and purpose in sustaining mural art and concludes that the awareness, acceptance and
effort from all pertinent parties are crucial for this cause. The outcome of this paper is hoped to
elevate the awareness and appreciation of the mural art’s multidimensional impacts in the current
environment that influenced the placemaking in the city.

Keywords: mural art, public art, sustainability, urban landscape environment.

INTRODUCTION

Walking across the pathway in the city centre offers different experiences, feelings and
perceptions for the pedestrians. Instead of architectural style, mix development, landscape design
and people’s daily activities on the street, a sequence of mural paintings on the vertical surface
provide an altered mood and distinctive character to the public realm. Mural art or mural painting
becomes a movement in the urban landscape environment as a part of the public art incorporation
on the building surface to enhance the city’s uniqueness and prettification strategy (Mohd Fabian,
2010; Muhammad Falihin & Nik Hanita, 2016). Lots of cities in Malaysia had integrated mural art
externally to the building surface and façade, abandoned structure and public facilities such as
toilets, bus stops, and LRT stations towards boosting the aesthetic value and creating a comfy
atmosphere for the users. Most of the artworks impressively captured the local essence in a creative
way while offering a new experience for the pedestrians to discover the city’s layout (Sitiawan, 2010;
Syamimi, Siti & Norizan, 2016). Mural art regarded as a public art encompassing sculptures and
decorative facades enriches the presence of the urban setting and potentially reduces crime rates
at the back lane whilst uplifting a sense of pride and ‘ownership’ within the community (Erickson,
2015; Siti Rasidah, Azrul & Khalilah, 2016).

Current study has recognized that mural art has probable as a tourist magnetism that tells
the city’s history and cultural diversity through an imaginative and artistic approach (Sitiawan, 2010;
Mohd Fabian, 2010; Motoyama & Hanyu, 2014). The issue of sustainability of mural art is noteworthy
to be concentrated as ‘art’ is valued as an important factor towards showcasing Malaysia's unique
wonders, attraction, cultures and heritage in the form of two-dimensional (2-D) and three-
dimensional (3-D) artwork (Tourism Malaysia, 2017). ‘Art’ is perceived as the main catalyst for the
growth in tourism and culture sectors locally and internationally (Ministry of Tourism and Culture
Malaysia, 2015). Besides, an analytical factor in tourists' decision about what to be seen is the

113

uniqueness of the object which the site or scene must be out of the ordinary, and mural art is
appealing to this new category of tourists who are looking for a distinct gaze (Urry & Larsen, 2011;
Yan, et al., 2019). Nevertheless, from recent studies, the challenges of integrating mural art in the
city concern the issues of poor-quality artworks and materials, lack of art knowledge, community's
participation and constructive cooperation of the related organisation, besides no particular unit
assigned to manage those artworks (Shunmugam, 2006; Muhizam, 2008; Mohd Fabian, 2010,
Muhammad Falihin, et al., 2018). The inattentiveness of suitable maintenance and absence of
specific guidelines for art in the city perhaps leads to the threat of artworks against the time and the
vandalism matter in several places. Therefore, this paper focused on the sustainability of those art
pieces towards ages, challenge, determination and prospective of mural art for long-term benefits
based on analysis of secondary data from scholarly articles, journals and various sorts of academic
publications.

PUBLIC ART INTEGRATION IN URBAN LANDSCAPE ENVIRONMENT

Human advancements have been interrelating with nature and shifting the environment to
meet their needs towards a better quality of living. These changing actions include activities such as
constructing roads and cities, emerging agriculture, improving communications systems and
technology, which also have unwanted impacts on the biosphere (Taylor & Caldarelli, 2004).
Consequently, the rapid expansion of a city transforms the environment to accommodate the
demand and supply of the inhabitants. The urbanisation process makes the city a 'melting pot' that
has a mix of culture, belief and heritage (Blandy et al., 1998; Syamimi et al., 2016). Hence, the
community started to showcase their perspectives and voice out their desire through expressions of
art. According to Sanchez, Vinueza, Izurieta and Rey (2020), 'community art' is a strategy used to
develop collaborative projects, revaluating the mediating nature of art. This kind of art incorporates
methods in which the artist and the community collaborate in creative meeting spaces, including
mural painting. Schneller et al. (2019) urged the direct involvement of people in artistic processes
assists them to acknowledge their connections to nature and how distinctive activities modify the
existing environment. Integration of mural art in an urban setting emphasises the interaction of
humans with their natural, social and spiritual environment (Sanchez et al., 2020). Therefore,
community engagement, the process of creating art, the educational and advocacy components of
art are as essential as its visual impact (Blandy et al., 1998; Schneller et al., 2019).

Generally, the word mural originates from the word 'murus' from the Latin meaning 'wall'. It
has begun since 30,000 years BC through the discovery of prehistoric drawings found on the walls
of caves in Altimira, Spain, and Lascaux, France with actions drawings and hunt of religious (Adika,
Arvino & Aryo, 2012; Siti Rasidah et al., 2016). The mural seems to have similarity with graffiti;
however, it is different because graffiti refers to a form of the composition of colours, shapes and
writing on a wall and illegally done by the public (Kanan & Pruitt, 2002; Siti Rasidah et al., 2016).
The difference between mural and graffiti can be referred to Figure 1.

Figure 1 (a) Mural at commercial building, River of Life Kuala Lumpur;
(b) Message graffiti at back lane, Kuala Lumpur (Source: Google Image, 2020)

114

Mural painting can be classified as public art of community artworks, instead of another
typology of public art such as artworks of remembrance, expressive artwork, efficient artwork and
technology-related artwork (Portland Public Art Committee, 2009; Tyler, 2013; Nurul Izzah et al.,
2014; Muhammad Falihin et al. 2016). It plays an extensive role to enhance a city's image and
identity, promotes a sense of place, provokes social change and raises the desire for investing in
areas where public art is positioned (Hamilton, Leslie, & De Longh, 2001). Moreover, stunning mural
art attracts people to an area and increases its value whilst rising a sense of pride in the
neighbourhood (McCarthy, 2006; Syamimi et al., 2016). Motoyama et al. (2014) agreed that mural
art intends to make the public realms more eye-catching and more valued, either done by the public
or private sector. Competed to whole city planning, the integration of mural art is closer to the public
because of its human scale (Motoyama et al., 2014; Syamimi et al., 2016). Nonetheless, there are
several issues and challenges regarding the sustainability of mural art in the urban environment,
which will be highlighted in the next section.

SUSTAINABILITY OF MURAL ART: ITS COMMON ISSUES AND CHALLENGE

Mural art can be delivered in various ways and its uses to beautify the city or celebrate its
commemorating event and do not necessarily enjoy universal consensus (Sharp et al., 2005; Gartus,
Klemer & Leder, 2015). On that statement, academics, artists, social agents, policymakers, and the
community are usually not discussing the same subject at all (Zebracki, Vaart & Aalst, 2010). One
possibility is to see artworks as unique and autonomous objects (Gartus et al., 2015). Landscapes
with mural art were observed as having higher complexity, less typicality and less coherent than the
scenes without mural art. (Motoyama et al., 2014). Gartus et al. (2015) and Chang (2020) concluded
that art is not always perceived in the same way depending on the visual context, but also on
individual differences. Level of education and awareness of the public influenced the perception and
acceptation towards mural art (Muhizam, 2008; Mohd Fabian, 2010; Muhammad Falihin et al., 2018).
Hence, the amalgamation of an art style and the context of its presentation should be considered
carefully to suit the local context and the community.

Components of cultural and heritage of the locals which translated into the mural art will
effectively enrich the aesthetic value (Syamimi et al., 2016). All parties involved in the mural art
project are precisely on the vision of the artwork's theme and try to evade any sensitive issue.
However, some of the artwork did not represent the area, although it has a significant value to
remember. Referring to Figure 2, some of the artworks in Laman Seni Seksyen 7, Shah Alam were
not sensibly done and lacked awareness of local distinctiveness. Correspondingly, community
artwork at Bishopgate, Kuching did not give any momentous to the memoir of the lane that is
renowned with products of carpenter and tin crafter. Consequently, it is vital for the participants
involved in any public art project to certify the artworks suits the space and its narration.

Figure 2 (a) Insensitive 3-D mural installation at Laman Seni Seksyen 7, Shah Alam
(b) Community artwork at Bishopgate, Kuching (Source: Google Image, 2020)

115

The Vandalism issue is a never-ending story. It has been generally defined by Van Vliet
(1992) and Bhati and Pearce (2017) as an act of intended human aggression that is effectively anti-
social, which does not necessarily invoke criminal charges, which result in damage to or loss of
property. Recently, artwork from local artists, Muhammad Suhaimi, Abdul Hadi and Muhamad
Firdaus that commemorate the national heroes during pandemic COVID-19 on the wall at Shah
Alam, Selangor had been vandalised by irresponsible people with harsh words using spray paint.
The mural portrait of Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, Prime Minister, Ministers and Malaysia Health director-
general then recoated with white paint to avoid any further controversial issue. Two individuals,
believed to be women, were detected from the closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera recording of
a nearby shop and this incident would be investigated for committing mischief and provoking the
peace through intentional insult under the Penal Code (Timboung, 2020). Nevertheless, the same
artists in collaboration with local authorities painted a new mural with the same portraitures on the
gigantic vertical wall. Hence, the placement of the mural art installation is crucial to avoid any
vandalism issue instead of the immoral human behaviour that is challenging to be resolved.

Figure 3 (a) Portraits of National Heroes at Shah Alam, Selangor
(b) Repainted process (Source: Google Image, 2020)

RESILIENCE OF MURAL ART’S SUSTAINABILITY

Human perception and acceptance towards art in the city, quality and significance of applied
artwork and vandalism problems need to be strengthened towards sustaining those mural arts.
Integration of mural art is a process, wherein art takes up a deliberate position in different actors'
conceptualisations of an area. Here, as stressed by Selwood (1995), artists, as well as other
professional groups or communities, should be equivalently capable of serving broader interests and
consider universal perspective to accommodate the entire level of human being. Indeed, one should
challenge the statement that contemporary mural art practice is more likely to be informed by the
individual artist's interests (Zebracki et al., 2010). On the other hand, the awareness among
populations needs to be boosted with an efficient and constant campaign of art in the city programme
by related stakeholders. Aligned with Zheng (2017), mural art and citizenship have a twofold
relationship: citizenship education and enhancement of citizenship rights.

Chang (2020) emphasised the legalisation of art in public spaces, the role of government
regulation and the response of artists towards state sanction are fundamental in contemporary urban
settings. Extending community art projects at the neighbourhood level are associated with the
function of mural art as a tool of empowerment, a non-aggressive weapon in the fight for citizenship,
human rights, and social justice (Lacy, 1995; Goldbard, 2006; Zheng, 2017). It should expose the
local distinctiveness and enhance the spirit of the place or genius loci (Motoyama et al., 2014;
Syamimi et al., 2016; Muhammad Falihin et al. 2018). In that case, any proposal of artwork needs
to be filtered in detail to suit the inherent context and character of the locality. Thus, local authorities
play imperative roles to impose this practice towards evading any irrelevant artwork that hints at
sensitive substance.

Siti Rasidah et al. (2016) claimed that mural art is one of public art that is considered to assist
in preventing crime in an area. Conversely, vandalism is one of the crimes that are tough to cope

116

with. To secure the norms of behaviour and the nature of activity possible within a location, it is
indispensable to have clear, unquestionable control over what can occur there. In such surroundings,

criminals will notice their possibility of detection is greater and the chances to escape once a crime
is committed more limited (Crotts, 2003; Bhati et al., 2017). The body of knowledge recommends
interference approaches such as protection and avoidance, external control, deterrence, education
and social programs, and criminal justice system for serious misbehaviours (Thompson et al., 2012).
Moreover, it appears that diversity of public space functions becomes a potential agent of change in
these moralising installations (Cucuzzella, Chupin & Hammond, 2020). Taking these underlined
matters into account, placement of mural artworks in the urban area is substantial to avoid any
possibility of vandalising action.

PROSPECTIVE OF PUBLIC ART FOR LONG-TERM BENEFITS

As concisely stated earlier, common issues and challenges of integrating mural art in the
urban environment needs operative determination towards sustaining those arts for long-term
benefits. It is significant to sustain those artworks for long-term benefits of economic, environmental,
social and cultural aspects as listed in Table 1.

Table 1 Long-term benefits of mural art in urban landscape environment

Authors, Year Long-term benefits of mural art in urban environment

Zebraki, et al., Mural art enhances economic activity: attracting and increasing investments in
2010 the arts; improving economic regeneration conditions through creating richer
visual environments; boosting cultural tourism; creating employment for artists,
encouraging public–private partnerships; and up scaling land values.

Motoyama, et Mural art works as resources for tourism to activate featureless provincial

al., 2014 cities, contributes to improve city life and its image.

Siti Rashidah, Mural art acts as an alternative to activating the lost space in an urban area

et al. 2016 that results in the quality of life in the city.

Yan, et al., Mural art that presents the community heritages is appealing to the tourist
2019 market; add value to heritage sites; boost tourism industry.

Chang, 2020 Mural art is not just about aesthetically improving urban identity, place making
and claims to space.

Sanchez, et Mural art that depicted elements relating people’s identity to the ecosystem
al., 2020 helped reconnect them with nature and reminded them of their responsibility to

conserve it.

(Source: Zebraki, et al., 2010; Motoyama, et al., 2014; Siti Rashidah, et al. 2016; Yan, et al., 2019;
Chang, 2020; Sanchez, et al., 2020)

CONCLUSION

Across the discussion throughout reviews of literature in this paper, it can be determined that
the highlighted topics of this study are interdependent. In conclusion, the presence of mural art
movement can contribute to improve the anticipation of city spaces and enriching necessary
characteristics to benefit in diverse dimensions. Mural art projects are complex collaborations as
they should engage many parties such as art experts, urban planners, economists, sociologists,
political scientists as well as citizens towards sustaining those artworks and continuously profits the
community and the environment. Nevertheless, future research should highlight on the comparative

117

study on how mural art could effectively influence the current diversified urban setting both locally
and globally.

REFERENCES

Adika, T., Arvino, P., & Aryo, D. P. (2012). Perkembangan seni mural dari masa ke semasa. Sekolah Tinggi
Seni Rupa & Desain Indonesia Telkom, Bandung.

Bhati, A. & Pearce, P. (2017). Tourist attractions in Bangkok and Singapore; linking vandalism and setting
characteristics. Tourism Management 63 (2017), Pages 15-30

Blandy, D., Congdon, K.G., & Krug, D.H. (1998). Art, Ecological Restoration, and Art Education, Studies in Art
Education, 39:3, 230-243, DOI: 10.1080/00393541.1998.11650026

Chang, T. C. (2020). Wall dressed up: Graffiti and street art in Singapore. City, Culture and Society 20 (2020)
100329, Pages 1-7

Crotts, J. C. (2003). Theoretical perspectives on tourist criminal victimisation. The Journal of Tourism Studies,
14(1), Pages 92-98

Cucuzzella, C., Chupin, J. & Hammond, C. (2020). Eco-didacticism in art and architecture: Design as means
for raising awareness. Cities 102 (2020) 102728, Pages 1-12

Erickson, H. (2015). Starting an online store? Earn on binary options. CPTED Security through Environmental
Design, 2–3.

Gartus, A., Klemer, N. & Leder, H. (2016). The effects of visual context and individual differences on perception
and evaluation of modern art and graffiti art. Acta Psychologica 156 (2015), Pages 64–76

Goldbard, A. (2006). New Creative Community, The Art of Cultural Development. New Village Press, Oakland,
California.

Hamilton, J., Leslie, F., & De Longh, D. (2001). Public art: A local authority perspective. Journal of Urban
Design, 6(3), Pages 283–296

Kanan, J. W., & Pruitt, M. V. (2002). Modeling fear of crime and perceived victimization risk: The
(In)significance of neighborhood integration. Journal Sociological Inquiry,72(4), Pages 527–548

Lacy, S. (1995). Mapping the Terrain: New Genre Public Art. Bay Press, Seattle.

Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia (2015). Official Portal. Retrieved 01 September 2020 from
http://www.motour.gov.my/en/profile/policy

Mohd Fabian, H. (2010). Towards Integrating Public Art in Malaysian Urban Landscape. Pertanika J. Soc. Sci.
& Hum. Page 251-264

Motoyama, Y. & Hanyu, K. (2014) Does public art enrich landscapes? The effect of public art on visual
properties and affective appraisals of landscapes. Elsevier- Journal of Environmental Psychology 40
(2014). Page 14-25

Muhammad Falihin, J. & Nik Hanita, N. M. (2016). Roles of Public Art in Malaysian Urban Landscape towards
Improving Quality of Life: Between aesthetic and functional value. Elsevier’s Procedia - Social and
Behavorial Sciences. Volume 222, 23 June 2016, Pages 872-880,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.05.201

Muhammad Falihin, J. & Nik Hanita, N. M. (2016). Assessment of Adaptable Urban Environment for Public Art
Integration through Observation Study: Johor Bahru City Centre. Environment-Behaviour Proceedings
Journal, 1(4), 191-202. https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v1i4.383

Muhammad Falihin, J., Nur Huzeima, M. H. & Siti Syamimi, O. (2018) Public Art: The Enrichment of Genius
Loci / Muhammad Falihin Jasmi, Nur Huzeima Mohd Hussain and Siti Syamimi Omar. IDEALOGY, 3
(3). pp. 80-89. ISSN 2550-214X

118

Muhizam M. (2008). Public Art in the Federal Territory of Putrajaya: Questions of Value and Role. Wacana
Seni Journal of Arts Discourse. Jil./Vol.8. Page 2

Nurul Izzah, A. B., Mazlina, M., & Nor Zalina, H. (2014). Vertical greenery system as public art? Possibilities
and challenges in Malaysian urban context. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 153, Pages
230–241

Portland Public Art Committee. (2009). City of Portland, maine guidelines for the public art ordinance. Page 3

Sanchez, E., Vinueza, R., Izurieta, X. & Rey, N. (2020). Use of muralism to promote awareness about aquatic
ecosystems and wise water consumption in northwestern Ecuador. Ocean and Coastal Management
190 (2020) 105165, Pages 1-13

Schneller, A.J., Harrison, L.M., Adelman, J., Post, S. (2019). Environmental Art in the Hudson River
Watershed: Outcomes of Place-Based Experiential Environmental Education. Applied Environmental
Education and Communication.

Selwood, S. (1995). The Benefits of Public Art: The Polemics of Permanent Art in Public Places. Policy Studies
Institute, London.

Sharp, J., Pollock, V., Paddison, R., 2005. Just art for a just city: public art and social inclusion in urban
regeneration. Urban Studies 42 (5/6), Pages 1001–1023

Shunmugam, V. (2006). By the artists, for the people. Retrieved 01 September 2020, from
http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2006/9/3/lifearts/9475789&sec=lifearts

Siti Rasidah, M. S., Azrul, B. & Khalilah, H. (2016). The Effect of Mural on Personal Crime and Fear of Crime.
Elsevier’s Procedia - Social and Behavorial Sciences. Volume 234, 31 October 2016, Pages 407-415,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.10.258

Syamimi, O., Siti, D. R. M. S., & Norizan, M. A. (2016). Bringing the new to the old: Urban recognition through
public art. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 43, Pages 515–524

Taylor, E., Caldarelli, M., 2004. Teaching beliefs of non-formal environmental educators: a perspective from
state and local parks in the United States. Environ. Educ. Res. 10 (4), Pages 452–469

Thompson, K., Offler, N., Hirsch, L., Every, D., Thomas, M. J., & Dawson, D. (2012). From broken windows to
a renovated research agenda: a review of the literature on vandalism and graffiti in the rail industry.
Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 46(8), Pages 1280-1290

Timboung, J. (2020). The Star Official Portal. Retrieved 02 September 2020 from
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/07/20/mural-vandals-identified-in-viral-video

Tourism Malaysia (2017). Official Portal. Retrieved 01 September 2020 from
https://www.tourism.gov.my/about-us/about-tourism-malaysia

Tyler, J. (2013). Public Art Master Plan, City of Coronado. Cultural Arts Commission. Pages 6-9

Urry, J., & Larsen, J. (2011). The tourist gaze 3.0. London: Sage.

Van Vliet, W., 1992. The cherry question or the role of social science research in designing against vandalism.
In: Christensen, H., Johnson, D., Brookes, M. (Eds.), Vandalism: Research, Prevention and Social
Policy. United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Portland.

Yan, L., Xu, J. B., Sun, Z. & Xu, Y. (2019). Street art as alternative attractions: A case of the East Side Gallery.
Tourism Management Perspectives 29 (2019), Pages 76–85

Zebracki, M., Vaart, R. V. D. & Aalst, I. V. (2010). Deconstructing public artopia: Situating public-art claims
within practice. Geoforum 41 (2010), Pages 786–795

Zheng, J. (2017). Contextualizing public art production in China: The urban sculpture planning system in
Shanghai. Geoforum 82 (2017), Pages 89–101

119

Nature Imitating Attribute Adapted in Design Learning Process
via Users’ Perspectives

Azhari bin Md Hashim

Faculty of Art and Design,
Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Kedah, Malaysia.

[email protected]

Muhammad Faiq Hilmi bin Mohamad Zamberi

Department of News,
Radio Televisyen Malaysia, Malaysia.

[email protected]

ABSTRACT

The attribute and imitating inspiration between nature and transportation are among the
design forms which require the observation technique from the surrounding environment. The
potential forms derived from the physical or philosophical aspect behind nature's living organisms
provide inspiration to the designers in the earlier process of transport design development mainly on
the conceptual and proposal stage. Thus, researchers and designers began to aspire nature as a
problem solver associated with their conceptual design. This study attempts to explore the natural
characteristics of nature that can be inspired into transport design projects through the design
learning process and gain an insight perception from the users’ perspectives towards the proposed
design. The learning process involves consideration of the design influence, system and technology
that focus on nature's characteristics which were explored and determined in this project. Thus, a
survey was conducted using questionnaires distributed to the respondents involving the potential
users. Finally, the result indicated how nature can be used as a tool of exploration to break down
the barriers between the discipline of natural science and engineering particularly in the design area.
Furthermore, the feedback from the respondents indicated the perception towards the design as
references in academic and industry practices.

Keywords: nature imitating; design learning process; users’ perspective.

INTRODUCTION

The relationship and connection amongst transportation and nature are one area that has
brought a lot of unexplained situations among designers. At that point, there is an alternative way of
design that was introduced a long time ago which requires designers to observe and search for the
natural processes found in nature as an inspiration. These procedures have been around for
decades but only recently discovered and begin to appear. The fact of the matter is, would we be
able to take the rationality or terms behind nature's living organisms and use them to help us in the
developments of humanity? Janine M. Benyus (JM, 1997) created a field of subject called Biomimicry
or term biomimetic that consolidated engineering and biology, that mankind begins to seek nature
for nature as a solver. The word biomimicry came in combination from two words which are 'bios'
that implies life and 'mimesis' that define, emulate or imitate. By understanding the significance of
the word, it would be easier to comprehend the concept and procedures.

This study attempts to investigate the natural characteristics of hummingbird that can be
applied into a conceptual three-wheeler scooter. The outcome will be proposed to influence the

120

design, system and technology that emphasize on the hummingbird's special characteristics or traits.
Hummingbirds are tiny, vivid flying creatures with iridescent feathers. Their name is derived from the
way that they flap their wings so quickly (around 80 times each second) which make a humming
sound. Hummingbirds can hover right, left, up, down, backward, and even upside down. They are
also capable of hovering by fluttering their wings in a figure-8 shape. They have a specific long and
tapered bill that is used to get nectar from the centre and deep point of long and tubular blooms
(Croskery, 2016). The hummingbird's feet are utilized for perching, and are not used for hopping or
walking. In addition, the potential characteristics and how to apply it is identified. The only type of
bird that depends solely on its own strength to hover in the air, a hummingbird flapping its wings
requires more mass-based mechanical power output than some other type of locomotion (Tobalske
BW et al., 2007). Additionally, researchers have found that the tint feathered creature's efficiency
originates from the proportion of the wing's length to its width. The research also found that the
aerodynamic performance of hummingbird wings is "amazingly similar" to advanced micro helicopter
rotors (Mayntz, 2017).

Figure 1: Broad tailed hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus)

Hummingbirds have a unique avoidance system incorporated in their brains that empowers
them to perform fast aerobatics in safety. The way they manage to evade potential lethal accidents
remains a mystery until now (Warrick, Tobalske, & Powers, 2005). In addition, a conceptual three-
wheeler is a motorcycle scooter proposed with an advanced step through-frame and a platform for
the rider's feet featuring hummingbird characteristics. The scooter offers better manoeuvrability
which makes the three-wheeler a good choice for urban commuters or young professionals.
Subsequently, this study will explore how biomimicry can be used as a tool of exploration to break
down the barriers between the discipline of natural science and engineering in the design learning
process. The final composition will show the integrated nature and transport design segments in
order to accomplish a transportation that makes complete unity between the vehicle, user and the
technology.

BIOMIMICRY STUDIES

Biomimicry or biomimetic is the implementation of nature, its models, systems, processes,
and elements to emulate or take inspiration from in order to solve human problems. The term
biomimicry and biomimetic derived from the Greek words bios which means life and mimesis, is to
emulate. Different terms regularly used are bionics, bio-inspiration, and bio gnosis. Furthermore, it

121

is an approach to innovation that finds sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating
nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies. The term biomimicry appeared as early as 1982. The
term biomimicry was popularized by scientist and author Janine Benyus in her 1997 book
Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. Biomimicry is defined in her book as a "new science that
studies nature's models and then imitates or takes inspiration from these designs and processes to
solve human problems". Benyus suggests looking to Nature as a "Model, Measure, and Mentor" and
emphasizes sustainability as an objective of biomimicry. Janine M. Benyus suggested that
biomimicry views nature as a model and it imitates or takes inspiration from their forms and
processes to solve human problems and issues. It also acts as a measure of an ecological standard
to judge the ‘rightness’ of our innovations and as a mentor of a holistic way of viewing and valuing
nature.

Figure 2: Design Inspired by Nature

Previous Related Research and Design Approaches
It is concluded that a biomimicry approach to deal with transport design incorporates an

understanding of nature and ecosystem that could incline into a tool for creating a transport design
that goes further and can sustain current conditions to a restorative practice where the characteristics
and principles that become crucial in the integration process. An emphasized focus is made on the
ecosystem biomimicry, underlining its general principles and characteristics. Ways to deal with
biomimicry as a design process commonly fall into two classifications which is Problem-Based
Approach and Solution-Based Approach clarified in the next sections.

Problem-Based Approach
Based on this approach, designers explore the ecosystems for solutions and require to

analyse the issues and problems. Then, biologists need to integrate this to organisms that have
fathomed the same issues and suitable characteristics. This method is impressively led by designers
recognizing the initial objectives and scope of the design. The pattern of problem-driven biologically
inspired design follows a progression of steps which, in practice, is non-linear and dynamic in the
sense that output from later stages frequently influences previous stages, providing iterative
feedback and refinement loops (Vattam, Helms, & Goel, 2021).

122

Figure 3: Top-down Approach

A case that uses such an approach is Daimler Chrysler’s Bionic Car that uses boxfish
(ostraceon malagris) as the reference (Pedersen Zari & Storey, 2007). The boxfish, which can be
found in coral reefs, has awesome structural strength, but low mass. Despite the unique appearance
of the fish, it has an impressive low flow resistance, with a drag coefficient of unbelievable 0.06. The
skeleton and structure of the car also use bio mimesis approach, which have been designed using
a computer modelling method based on how trees are able to grow in a way that limits stress
concentrations. The subsequent structure looks almost skeletal, as material is assigned only to the
places where it is generally required.

Figure 4: Daimler’s Bionic Car (Daimler Global Media Site, 2021)

Solution-Based Approach
When biological knowledge influences human design, the collaborative design process is

initially dependent on people having knowledge of relevant biological research rather than on
determined human design problems. An advantage of this approach therefore is that biology may
influence humans in ways that might be outside a predetermined design problem, resulting in
previously unthinkable technologies or systems or even approaches to design solutions. The
potential for true shifts in the way humans design and what is focused on as a solution to a problem,
exists with such an approach to biomimetic design (Vincent, Bogatyreva, Bogatyrev, Bowyer, & Pahl,
2006).

123

Figure 5: Button Up Approach

An advantage of this approach therefore is that biology may influence humans in ways that
might be outside a predetermined design problem, resulting in previously unthought-of technologies
or systems or even approaches to design solutions. The potential for true shifts in the way humans
design and what is focused on as a solution to a problem, exists with such an approach to biomimetic
design (Vincent et al., 2006). A disadvantage from a design point of view with this approach is that
biological research must be conducted and then identified as relevant to a design context. Biologists
and ecologists must therefore be able to recognise the potential of their research in the creation of
novel applications (Vattam et al., 2021).

PROBLEM STATEMENT
Majorities of designers may not realize or make the connection that the design attempts to

emulate nature. Although transportation design does not commonly use biomimicry as a tool for the
design process, it has been used as a part of alternative strategies that are widely used in product
design. Biomimicry can offer a few answers to the way we design transportation, including
aerodynamics, materials, mechanisms, safety, and others.
Furthermore, in order for biomimicry to become a possible solution to transportation problems, there
should be more research regarding the matter and extra testing and use of inspired ideas to build
up the field. Information and data collected should be made available of the process of using
biomimicry for design and how it too can be helpful to design so others can be influenced and
inspired with thoughts for its applications further.

OBJECTIVES

The main purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between transportation and
nature which is a conceptual scooter that applies Hummingbird’s characteristic as a biomimicry
concept and explores the potential of biomimicry on transportation design. Hence the objectives of
the study are:

i. To explore the potential of biomimicry in transport design.
ii. To establish a theoretical and methodological framework for case-studies of biomimicry.
iii. To explore the possibility of implementing and integrating selected biological principles

with transport design.

124

METHODS

Questionnaires consisting of twenty questions had been distributed to thirty respondents
N=30 via Google Docs through social media. The twenty questions consisted of two parts; the first
part was designed to obtain respondents’ demographic information such as age groups, genders,
races, marital status, academic qualification and monthly income salary. The second part was
designed to assess respondents’ needs on conceptual scooters based on mimicry attributes.

RESULT AND ANALYSIS

Data analysis which summarizes the collected data via pie charts and the survey have been
put together which represent the findings. Specific explanation also included in the chart results.
Table 1 summarizes the respondent demographic involved in the survey.

Table 1: Respondent Demographic

Questions Percentage Result
1 Age groups 60% 21-30 years

2 Gender 33.3% 30-40 years
3 Races 63.3% Male
4 Marital status 36.7% Female
5 Academic qualification 96.7% Malay
6 Basic monthly salary others Other races
70% Single
30% Married
60% Degree
33.3% Diploma
10% RM3000-5000k
40% RM1000k-3000k
26.7% <RM1000k

Bar Chart 1: Most Familiar Scooter Brand

125

Based on the bar chart 1 above, there is a slight difference between every scooter brand that
respondents are aware of except for Italjet which has the lowest percentage with 26.7%. The highest
percentage is Yamaha with 80% followed by Honda and SYM (70%), Demak, Vespa, Suzuki and
Italjet. This sums up that Yamaha is the most preferred brand rather than other brands. Most of the
respondents chose Vespa 946 and Honda XADV for the most attractive existing scooter design with
20.7%. Then, the second highest is Yamaha Vino with 17.2% and followed by Italjet, Honda Airblade,
Yamaha Ego Solariz, Aprilia SR Motard and the least is Yamaha NMAX.

Figure 6: Destination with Scooter

Based on figure 6, the highest percentage is 26.7% with leisure and grocery sharing the
same percentage. The second highest percentage is to the working place with 23.3% and followed
by pickup family members, study and the least is to the shopping mall.

126

From figure 7, respondents rated Design 6 as the most attractive based on the respondents’
preference of 24.1%. There is a slight difference on the Design 2 highest which is 20.7% and the 3rd
is design 4 followed by the least is design 1.

Figure 7: Proposed Reference of Scooter Design

Figure 8: Proposed Conceptual Scooter Design

It is clear from figure 8, the respondents rated the Design 4 as the most preferred with 28%
percentage. However, other designs also have a very slight difference in percentage. From the
survey, respondents are likely to choose a conceptual scooter that has a rooftop so that it will make
it easier for them to ride in any kind of weather.

127

CONCLUSION

This study conducted an investigation into biomimicry, the relationship and connection
between transportation and nature are among the forms of designs which require the observation of
nature as an inspiration. Then, it presents the development of a design method based on biological
principles that are applied and correlated with transportation design. In addition, it is started by
exploring the application of biomimicry in current transportation design, resulting in a set of several
design approaches and levels. However, this study was conducted as basic academic practices by
design project and may have further enhancement due to methods and data analysis. In addition,
biomimicry has become a typical aspect to consider for many vehicle designers and also finding that
nature tricks that can surpass their own existing ideas. Biomimicry offers designers practical,
efficient, and economical solutions that nature has developed for over a million years. In conclusion,
there is no doubt that nature is the best engineer and most ingenious designer of all.

REFERENCES

Croskery, C. (2016). Hummingbirds’ Unique Way of Seeing Prevents Them from Crashing.
Retrieved from https://www.newscientist.com/article/2097846-hummingbirds-unique-way-of-
seeing-prevents-them-from-crashing/

Daimler Global Media Site. (2021). Taking its clues from nature – Mercedes-Benz bionic car.
Retrieved from https://media.daimler.com/marsMediaSite/en/instance/ko/Taking-its-clues-
from-nature--Mercedes-Benz-bionic-car.xhtml?oid=9361190

JM, B. (1997). Biomimicry – Innovation Inspired by Nature NY, USA: HarperCollins Publishing New
York.

Mayntz, M. (2017). How Hummingbirds Fly? What Makes Hummingbird Flights Unique? Retrieved
from https://www.thespruce.com/g00/how-hummingbirds-fly-
386446?i10c.referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2

Pedersen Zari, M., & Storey, J. (2007). An ecosystem based biomimetic theory for a regenerative
built environment.

Tobalske BW, Warrick DR, Clark CJ, Powers DR, Hedrick TL, Hyder GA, & AA., B. (2007). Three-
dimensional kinematics of hummingbird flight. Journal of Exploratory of Biology, 13, 2368-
2382.

Vattam, S., Helms, M., & Goel, A. (2021). Biologically Inspired Design: A Macrocognitive Account.
Proceedings of the ASME Design Engineering Technical Conference, 5.
doi:10.1115/DETC2010-28567

Vincent, J., Bogatyreva, O., Bogatyrev, N., Bowyer, A., & Pahl, A.-K. (2006). Biomimetics: Its
Practice and Theory. Journal of the Royal Society, Interface / the Royal Society, 3, 471-482.
doi:10.1098/rsif.2006.0127

Warrick, D. R., Tobalske, B. W., & Powers, D. R. (2005). Aerodynamics of the hovering hummingbird.
Nature, 435(7045), 1094-1097. doi:10.1038/nature03647

128

Nilai Tarbiyah di Sebalik Pengungkapan Lafaz Al-Ma’ dalam
Al-Qur’an

Muhamad Khairul Anuar Bin Zulkepli

Academy of Language Studies
Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Kedah

[email protected]

Mohd Zulkhairi Abd Hamid

Academy of Language Studies
Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Kedah

[email protected]

ABSTRAK

Air ialah penciptaan terawal sebelum kewujudan langit dan bumi. Kewujudannya di atas
muka bumi telah dibuktikan oleh al-Qur’an menerusi ungkapan lafaz al-ma’. Berdasarkan
kajian yang direalisasikan oleh para ilmuan terdahulu dan terkini, al-ma’ diungkapkan
sebanyak 63 kali kekerapan dalam al-Qur’an. Namun, perbincangannya cenderung kepada
aspek perkataan dan tafsir. Pencerahan terhadap setiap pemilihan lafaz al-ma’ dalam semua
ayat yang berbagai-bagai tidak diperincikan. Bahkan, kecenderungan terhadap nilai-nilai
tarbiyah atau insaniah di sebalik lafaz tersebut kurang diberikan penekanan. Oleh itu, kajian
ini bertujuan menganalisis keindahan gaya bahasa bagi lafaz al-ma’ serta relevan nilai tarbiyah
atau insaniah di sebalik gaya bahasa tersebut. Kajian ini mendasari pendekatan kualitatif
dengan menjadikan al-Qur’an sebagai teras utama untuk merungkaikan nilai-nilai tersebut di
sebalik lafaz al-ma’. Sebanyak lima ayat mengandungi lafaz al-ma’ dikenalpasti untuk
dikupaskan. Pemilihan ayat tersebut turut berpandukan kepada al-Mu’jam al-Mufahras li Alfaz
al-Qur’an untuk mengetahui kedudukannya dalam setiap ayat yang berbeza. Lafaz tersebut
dibincangkan aspek gaya bahasa secara deskriptif berteraskan isu-isu yang dibangkitkan oleh
para sarjana terdahulu. Hasil kajian mendapati bahawa pengungkapan lafaz al-ma’ dalam al-
Qur’an menyerlahkan nilai-nilai tarbiyah atau insaniah tersendiri dan ia dapat dibuktikan
melalui gaya bahasa retorik, nazm, ketepatan pemilihan perkataan dan kontekstual ayat.

Kata Kunci: al-ma’, tarbiyah, retorik, gaya bahasa.

PENGENALAN

Air merupakan salah satu daripada penciptaan Allah yang termaktub jelas dalam al-
Qur’an. Ia dinyatakan menerusi ungkapan lafaz al-ma’ yang bermaksud air seara hakikatnya.
Perkataan ini disebut dalam al-Qur’an sebanyak 63 frekuensi kekerapannya dalam ayat yang
berbeza. Kekerapannya dalam variasi ayat yang berbeza ini menunjukkan dengan jelas
kepentingan air sebagai makhluk penciptaanNya yang hebat.

Jasim (2015) menyatakan bahawa air yang disebut dalam Al-Qur’an adalah bersifat sarih
(jelas) menerusi perkataan al-ma’. Air dinyatakan dalam Al-Qur’an menerusi perkataan-
perkataan lain mengikut kepada kedudukan ayat yang berbeza-beza. Ia merangkumi asas
kehidupan manusia seperti permulaan kepada penciptaan, mengeluarkan tumbuhan-
tumbuhan hijau dan seumpamanya. Justeru, al-ma’ memanifestasikan beberapa skop iaitu
penciptaan yang terawal berbanding langit dan bumi, asas kepada penciptaan setiap sesuatu

129

yang bernyawa, informasi tentang manusia sebagai ciptaan terawal, menghuraikan tentang
air bumi, Air yang mengalir dan membentuk haiwan dan air yang terdapat di alam akhirat.

Perbincangan berkaitan lafaz al-ma’ dalam al-Qur’an telah menjadi topik perbincangan
yang telah dimulakan oleh sarjana terdahulu dan ia masih diteruskan hingga kontemporari ini.
Malah, perbahasannya bukan sahaja menyentuh aspek al-Qur’an dan keindahan gaya bahasa
di dalamnya. Ia turut dibincangkan secara akademik oleh para pengkaji, saintis moden dan
lain-lain yang ingin menerokai lebih terperinci tentang apa yang dinyatakan dalam al-Qur’an
tentang air. Akhirnya, ia membuatkan mereka menjadi tertarik dengan isi kandungan wahyu
al-Qur’an lantas membuka hati untuk menerima kebenaran al-Qur’an.

Dari sudut pengkajian al-Qur’an dan keindahan bahasa, ia dapat dilihat menerusi kajian
Sa’ad (2015) yang membincangkan keindahan simile dalam al-Qur’an. Antara kupasan dalam
kajiannya ialah lafaz al-ma’ menggambarkan kerugian golongan kafir yang meminta dan
memohon doa kepada berhala-berhala mereka. Gambaran estetika ini diumpamakan secara
konkrit menerusi air yang mengalir ke tapak tangan untuk dimasukkan ke mulut ia tidak masuk.
Ia mencerminkan satu panorama kehidupan golongan kafir seolah-olah bertukar arah hidup
dari hidayah kepada kejahilan dan kesesatan. Dalam kajian al-Sayyid (2017), beliau ada
merungkaikan keindahan gaya bahasa tibaq dalam ayat-ayat dari surah al-Nur. Dalam ayat ke
39 dari surah tersebut, lafaz al-ma’ dikaitkan dengan aspek gaya bahasa tibaq. Namun, ia
tidak memperincikan keindahan gaya bahasa tersebut. Ia sekadar menyebut perkataan dalam
ayat yang berkait dengan gaya bahasa tibaq dan tiada kupasan secara ilmiah dan akademik.

Dalam kajian yang ketiga pula, Saihood (2019) ada menghuraikan keindahan gaya
bahasa tashbih yang terkandung dalam surah-surah makiyyah. Antara surah yang dikupasnya
ialah ayat dari surah al-A’raf dan diperincikan lafaz al-ma’. Penggunaan lafaz al-ma’ pada ayat
ini menghuraikan gambaran kehidupan semula dibangkitkan selepas kematian. Kehidupan
yang dinyatakan tersebut dibandingkan seperti tanah gersang dan tandus kemudian hidup
kembali dengan tanaman dan tumbuhan. Melihat kepada kajian yang telah dinyatakan ini, ia
lebih berkisarkan kepada kupasan aspek gaya bahasa terhadap lafaz al-ma’ dalam al-Qur’an.
Namun, tidak semua 63 lafaz al-ma’ dalam al-Qur’an tidak diperhalusi secara menyeluruh dari
segala sudut. Bahkan, kupasan aspek nilai-nilai murni atau tarbiyah di sebalik pengungkapan
lafaz al-ma’ tidak disentuh secara langsung. Oleh yang demikian, ini memberikan ruang
kepada pengkajian baru untuk merungkaikan nilai-nilai tarbiyah di sebalik lafaz al-ma’
menerusi saki-baki ayat yang belum dibincangkan lagi.

METODOLOGI

Kajian ini ialah kajian kualitatif yang bersifat analisis tekstual. Al-Qur’an dijadikan korpus
utama kajian dalam mengenalpasti dan menganalisis lafaz al-ma’ yang terkandung dalam
ayat-ayat. Pencarian lafaz tersebut dimulakan dengan meneliti lafaz-lafaz al-ma’ dalam al-
Qur’an dan ia juga dikenalpasti berpandukan kajian-kajian terdahulu dan terkini yang telah
direalisasikan seperti al-Sahari (466H) dalam kitabnya iaitu Kitab al-Ma’ Awwal Mu’jam Tibbi
Lughawi fi al-al-Tarikh, al-Za’arir (2003), Muhammad (2010), Yaaqob (2014), Jasim (2015) dan
al-Sayyid (2017).

Seterusnya, mengenalpasti lafaz al-ma’ dalam ayat al-Qur’an berpandukan kepada al-
Mu’jam al-Mufahras li Alfaz al-Qur’an (2001). Dalam kamus ini, ia menyenaraikan perkataan
dalam al-Qur’an mengikut susunan huruf Alif hingga Ya. Dari susunan huruf tersebut, lafaz al-
ma’ tersenarai mengikut surah, kedudukan ayat dan frekuensi kekerapan dalam al-Qur’an.
Kemudian, lafaz-lafaz al-ma’ akan dianalisis secara deskriptif dengan berteraskan beberapa
disiplin ilmu iaitu tafsir dan balaghah (retorik). Setiap lafaz tersebut akan dilihat penafsirannya
dalam ayat berkaitan bagi memahami konteks dan penceritaan di sebaliknya.

130

Langkah terakhir ialah menganalisis aspek nilai-nilai tarbiyah yang tersirat di sebalik
pengungkapan lafaz al-ma’ dalam ayat. Justeru, aspek kesenian dan keindahan gaya bahasa

yang tertera pada lafaz al-ma’ dalam ayat akan diperhalusi dengan berteraskan ilmu balaghah
iaitu bayan, ma’ani dan badi’.

DAPATAN DAN PERBINCANGAN

Berdasarkan kepada penelitian yang telah dilakukan, terdapat 63 lafaz al-ma’ yang
disebut dalam al-Qur’an. Pengungkapan lafaz tersebut diungkapkan dalam al-Qur’an secara

hakikat dan majaz. Namun, kajian ini lebih menumpukan kupasan al-ma’ secara hakikat dan

ia dapat diperhatikan menerusi lima ayat berikut:

Surah Hud (Ayat 7) ‫ً ِليَ ْبلُ َو ُك ْم أَيُّ ًك ْم أَ ْح َس ُن َع َملا ِ َو َكا َن َع ْرشُهُ َع َلى ا ْل َمآء‬

Sedang arasyNya berada di atas air. (Ia menjadikan semuanya itu) untuk menguji kamu

siapakah di antara kamu yang lebih baik amalnya (Hud 11: 7)

1. Tafsir

Al-Tabataba’i (1997) dan al-Zuhayli (2009) berpendapat bahawa al-ma’ dalam konteks

ayat tersebut berkait rapat dengan soal penciptaan alam semesta. Allah menegaskan bahawa
Dia merupakan pencipta langit dan bumi. Ini menjadi bukti kekuasaanNya yang tiada tolak

bandingan. Selain itu, ayat ini juga memberi petunjuk bahawa air dan arasy merupakan
penciptaan terawal berbanding langit dan bumi.

Dapat dikatakan bahawa konten ayat ini berkisar tentang penciptaan alam langit dan

bumi. Fokus yang diberikan ialah air dan arasy yang dikaitkan sebagai penciptaan lebih awal
daripada langit dan bumi. Dalam hal ini, air menjadi simbolik kepada kekuasaan Allah kerana

apabila menyebut tentang arasy, ia menggambarkan satu kedudukan yang amat tinggi dan
paling berkuasa serta berada di atas air. Ini bermakna air ialah penciptaan yang paling terawal

dan kemudiannya diciptakan arasy. Selepas itu, terciptalah langit dan bumi. Dari satu sudut

yang lain pula, kehebatan air di sini dapat dikaitkan dengan fungsinya sebagai asas
penciptaan segala yang hidup.

2. Gaya bahasa

Uslub khabar (penceritaan)

Dalam aspek ini, dapat diperhatikan jalinan perkataan antara ‫ كان‬dan al-ma’ dalam ayat.
Penggunaan kata kerja ‫ كان‬dalam bentuk madhi menerangkan arasy Allah telah berada di

atas air pada masa lalu sebelum terciptanya langit dan bumi. Malah, ia juga menunjukkan
bahawa arasy Allah berada di atas air pada masa lalu dan masih tetap hingga kini. Air yang
menanggung arasy Allah bukanlah air laut atau sebarangan air. Ia air yang diciptakan Allah
sebagaimana dikehendakNya.Selain itu, terdapat juga penggunaan kata kerja mudhari’ dalam

ayat iaitu ‫يبلو‬. Dua kata kerja berbeza digunakan dalam satu ayat yang sama iaitu satu

berbentuk madhi dan satu lagi ialah mudhari’. Sehubungan itu, penggunaan kata kerja madhi
dalam ayat membuktikan air, arasy, langit dan bumi ialah ciptaan awal yang telah ada pada
masa lalu dan tiada manusia wujud pada ketika itu. Semua ciptaan tersebut ada dan kekal

131

hingga hari ini. Penggunaan kata kerja mudhari’ pula menjelaskan bahawa makhluk ciptaan
selepas itu yang wujud dan sedang berada di atas muka bumi ialah manusia hingga ke hari
ini.

Hakikatnya, ayat ini ditujukan khas kepada manusia kerana Allah ingin melihat sejauh
mana mereka berbakti dan berbuat amal kebajikan terhadap pencitptaanNya iaitu air. Air yang
telah wujud sekian lama berbakti kepada Allah sebagai penanggung arasyNya. Demikianlah
manusia yang hidup di atas muka bumi ini perlu memupuk jiwa ke arah berbuat amal kebaikan
terhadap air. Dengan melakukan amal kebajikan terhadap air, ia mampu meningkatkan tahap
keimanan dan ketakwaan kepadaNya. Ini kerana manusia ialah khalifah di atas muka bumi
yang bukan sekadar bertanggungjawab memelihara air dan mentadbir alam secara sistematik.
Malah, mereka perlu mengkaji serta merungkaikan rahsia khazanah di sebalik air yang perlu
dilestarikan dengan sebaiknya. Firman Allah yang berbunyi:

‫ًإِ ِني َجا ِع ٌل فِي الأَ ْر ِض َخ ِليفَة‬

Sesungguhnya Aku hendak menjadikan seorang khalifah di bumi (al-Baqarah 2: 30)

Surah Hud (Ayat 43) ‫ِقَا َل َسئَا ِوى ِإ َلى َجبَ ٍل يَ ْع ِص ُمنِي ِم َن ا ْل َمآء‬

Anaknya menjawab: “Aku akan pergi berlindung ke sebuah gunung yang dapat

menyelamatkan daku daripada ditenggelamkan oleh air” (Hud 11: 43)

1. Tafsir

Ayat ini menurut al-Baydawi (2000) menerangkan detik-detik yang tragis antara Nabi
Nuh dan anaknya sebelum ditenggelamkan air besar. Peristiwa ini dirakamkan dalam ayat
tersebut dengan memperlihatkan air yang terpancar dari bumi melimpah-limpah dan
mencurah-curah naik tinggi mencecah ketinggian bukit yang dinaiki anak Nabi Nuh lalu
menenggelamkannya.

Dari sudut yang lain, kehebatan atau fungsi air dalam dapat diperhatikan dalam ayat ini
pada lafaz al-ma’ yang digunakan dalam bentuk ma’rifah dan Allah menyatakan bahawa fungsi
air bagaikan penenggelam segala apa yang ada di muka bumi. Tiada yang terlepas dari
ditenggelamkan air dalam peristiwa Nabi Nuh ini kecuali yang beriman. Ini menggambarkan
kebesaran air kerana fungsinya bagaikan penghapus atau pembasmi keingkaran dan
kekufuran di tempat mereka mendiami. Ia dapat dilihat jelas pada firman Allah:

‫َََل َعا ِص َم اليَ ْو َم ِم ْن أَ ْم ِر اللهِ إَِال َمن ار ِحم‬

Hari ini tidak ada sesuatupun yang akan dapat melindungi dari azab Allah kecuali orang yang
dikasihiNya.

2. Gaya bahasa

al-Ta’rif

Pengungkapan lafaz al-ma’ secara al-ta’rif dalam ayat inni menggambarkan satu
ancaman kepada anak Nabi Nuh. Jika diperhalusi pada ayat ini, ia sebenarnya satu dialog
berbentuk dua hala antara baginda dan anaknya ketika menghadapi detik cemas banjir besar.
Ia menggambarkan psikologi anak Nabi Nuh pada ketika itu yang berada dalam keadaan
cemas serta tiada harapan untuk selamat dari banjir tersebut. Namun, ia ditutupi dengan rasa
keyakinan bahawa akan selamat dari banjir tersebut apabila berselindung di gunung.

132

Walaupun dialog tersebut berlaku antara Nabi Nuh dan anaknya secara khusus,
hakikatnya ia ditujukan pada semua manusia atau pengikut Nabi Nuh pada ketika itu yang

ingkar dengan seruan dakwahnya. Oleh itu, partikel al pada lafaz al-ma’ yang diungkap dalam
ayat ini bukan hanya ancaman yang ditujukan kepada anak Nabi Nuh semata-mata malah

kepada semua sekali yang ada pada masa itu termasuklah isteri Nabi Nuh. Justeru, peristiwa

yang berlaku ini digambarkan oleh Allah menerusi ayat berikut:

‫َصا ِل َح ْي ِن‬ ‫ِع َبا ِد َنا‬ ‫ِم ْن‬ ‫ُلو ٍط َكا َنتَا تَ ْح َت َع ْب َد ْي ِن‬ َ‫َ َف َخَضا َنَرتَا َبهُ َاملالهُ َف َل َمْمثَل ُي ًا ْغنِِل َيلااِذي ََعن ْن ُه َك َمفَا ُر ِموا َنااْمللَرهِأَ ََشت ْيئً ُناو َو ٍحقِي َوَلا ْما َْدرأَُخلَتا‬
‫ال انا َر َم َع ال ادا ِخ ِلين‬
Allah mengemukakan satu misal perbandingan (yang menyatakan tidak ada manfaatnya) bagi

orang-orang kafir (berhubung rapat dengan orang-orang mukmin selagi mereka tidak beriman

dengan sebenar-benarnya) iaitu perihal isteri Nabi Nuh dan isteri Nabi Lut mereka berdua

berada di bawah jagaan dua orang hamba yang soleh dari hamba-hamba Kami (yang

sewajibnya mereka berdua taati) dalam pada itu mereka berlaku khianat kepada suami

masing-masing; maka kedua-dua suami mereka (yang berpangkat Nabi itu) tidak dapat

memberikan sebarang pertolongan kepada mereka dari (azab) Allah dan (sebaliknya)

dikatakan kepada mereka berdua (pada hari pembalasan): Masuklah kamu berdua ke dalam

neraka bersama-sama orang-orang yang masuk (ke situ) (al-Tahrim 68: 10)

Dalam hal ini, dapat difahami bahawa iman tidak dapat diwarisi dari seorang bapa atau

suami yang bergelar nabi. Sungguhpun baginda berpangkat nabi, anak dan isterinya tetap
ingkar dan tidak beriman kepada Allah. Ini menunjukkan bahawa hidayah dan petunjuk ialah

milikNya serta pangkat kenabian bukan jaminan kepada hidayah dan keimanan untuk diwarisi.
Pengajaran daripada peristiwa yang berlaku terhadap anak Nabi Nuh ini memberikan satu

penghayatan kepada diri supaya merenungi bahawa iman dan taqwa tidak dapat diwarisi atau

ditukar ganti untuk dimiliki. Seorang hamba yang beriman belum tentu dapat menjamin ahli
keluarganya untuk masuk ke syurga dan terlepas dari azab Allah. Ini kerana iman dan taqwa

ialah anugerah yang dikurniakan kepada hambaNya yang benar-benar ikhlas mencari erti
ketuhanan yang satu.

Surah al-Kahfi (Ayat 29) ‫َ َكا ْل ُم ْه ِل َي ْش ِوى ال ُو ُجوه ٍ َو ِإن َي ْستَ ِغيثُوا ُيغَاثُوا ِب َمآء‬

Dan jika mereka meminta pertolongan kerana dahaga, mereka diberi pertolongan dengan air

yang seperti tembaga cair yang membakar muka (al-Kahfi 18: 29)

1. Tafsir

Berdasarkan ayat tersebut, lafaz ma’ dalam ayat ialah satu pertolongan yang telah
dijanjikan kepada mereka yang ingkar serta kufur kepada Allah dan rasulNya. Ia menjadi satu

menu utama dalam neraka iaitu air yang disediakan kepada mereka. Oleh yang demikian,

konten ayat ini ingin mengajar manusia supaya tidak berlaku zalim kepada diri dengan
mengingkari Allah dan rasulNya. Dengan kezaliman itu, mereka sebenarnya menzalimi diri

sendiri di dalam neraka kelak dengan menerima satu pertolongan iaitu air.

2. Gaya bahasa

al-Tahakkum

Dalam kesenian gaya bahasa al-tahakkum ini, al-Zamakhshari (1998) menyebut ia
ungkapan yang mengandungi unsur mempersendakan. Begitu juga al-Madani (1968) ada

133

menyatakan bahawa aspek gaya bahasa ini ialah satu ungkapan yang jelas tetapi

mengandungi maksud penghinaan, khabar gembira yang terselitnya amaran, manakala janji

terkandungnya ancaman dan pujian pula terselitnya ejekan.

Daripada pengamatan terhadap ayat ini, aspek al-tahakkum dapat diperhatikan pada

ungkapan ‫يغاثوا بماء كالمهل‬. Dalam ungkapan ini, perkataan ‫ يغاثوا‬ialah satu ungkapan

berbentuk janji yang mengandungi unsur ancaman atau azab di sebaliknya. Ancaman tersebut

terpalit pada ungkapan ‫بماء كالمهل‬. Oleh yang demikian, kesenian yang tertera melalui

ungkapan ini menunjukkan kemurkaan Allah yang amat dahsyat dan menakutkan.

Ini kerana apabila menyebut tentang bantuan atau pertolongan, ia memberikan satu

pengertian yang positif. Namun, di sebalik bantuan yang dijanjikan Allah ini ialah satu azab

yang tersemat di sebalik pertolongan yang diberikanNya. Ini menunjukkan bahawa antara

bentuk azab yang diberikanNya kepada ahli neraka ialah pertolongan berupa azab penuh

penyeksaan kepada penduduk mereka. Ia menjadi satu bukti yang menunjukkan bahawa tiada

siapa lagi yang boleh memberikan pertolongan dan menjadi pelindung pada hari akhirat kelak

melainkan Allah. Bahkan, ini membuktikan betapa Allah tidak pernah memungkiri janjiNya

kepada manusia yang beriman dan tidak beriman sebagaimana telah dinyatakan dalam ayat

berikut: ‫ٌإِ ان َما تُو َع ُدو َن لَ َصا ِدق‬

(Sumpah demi sumpah) bahawa sesungguhnya segala yang dijanjikan kepada kamu

(mengenai hari akhirat) tetap benar (al-Dhariyat 51: 5)

Justeru, manusia perlu sentiasa berwaspada dan ingat kepada janji-janji Allah yang tidak

pernah dimungkiri. Allah amat murka kepada mereka yang kufur ingkar kepadaNya namun
kemurkaan itu tidak dizahirkan terus sepertimana telah ditimpakan kepada umat-umat

terdahulu. Secara tidak langsung, ia mendidik manusia supaya tidak menzalimi diri dengan

kehidupan yang jauh menyimpang dari kebenaran tuhan kerana tuhan yang satu ialah Allah
sahaja dan tiada jelmaan tuhan-tuhan lain sepertimana didakwa dalam ajaran-ajaran agama

lain. Ini kerana kehidupan yang hanya berasaskan khayalan semata-mata terhadap tuhan
mendorong manusia semakin jauh menyimpang serta lebih kufur. Allah sentiasa memberikan

peluang kepada manusia atas muka bumi ini untuk kembali kepadaNya dengan sebenar-benar

keimanan supaya memperakui dan mengiktirafNya sebagai tuhan yang maha esa kerana Dia
pencipta manusia.

Surah al-Anbia’ (Ayat 30) ‫َكُ ال َش ٍئ َحيٍ أَفَلاَ يُ ْؤ ِمنُون ِ َو َج َع ْلنَا ِم َن ا ْل َمآء‬

Dan Kami jadikan dari air tiap-tiap benda yang hidup. Maka mengapa mereka tidak mahu

beriman? (al-Anbia’ 21: 30)

1. Tafsir

Menurut Ibn Kathir (1998), intipati daripada ayat Al-Qur’an ini menerangkan bahawa
langit dan bumi pada asalnya adalah bercantum lalu kedua-duanya dipisahkan. Maka
terbentuklah permukaan bumi dan langit yang mempunyai tujuh lapisan atau tujuh petala
langit. Penciptaan langit dan bumi ini membuktikan pentadbir alam yang mutlak ialah Allah.
Kemudian, dijadikan setiap benda yang hidup daripada air kerana air merupakan asal kepada
sesuatu kehidupan.

Daripada pengamatan terhadap ayat ini, dapat difahami bahawa air ialah asas kepada
kehidupan dan pembentukan sesuatu kejadian. Ia dapat dilihat menerusi penciptaan langit dan
bumi pada asalnya bercantum dan kemudian kedua-duanya dipisahkan. Ayat ini juga diakhiri

134

dengan menyebut setiap benda yang hidup dijadikan daripada air. Ini menunjukkan bahawa
dengan air terbentuklah awan yang menghiasi permukaan langit terbentang luas. Begitu

jugalah permukaan bumi yang terbentuk daripada air kerana bumi mengandungi berbagai-
bagai jenis kehidupan yang amat memerlukan air sebagai kehidupan.

2. Gaya bahasa

Nazm

Melihat kepada ayat tersebut, lafaz al-ma’ dapat dijalinkan dengan perkataan ‫ حي‬dan

kedua-duanya berkait rapat. Apa yang ingin disingkap melalui ayat ini ialah air adalah bersifat

hidup dan tidak mati. Perkataan ‫ حي‬itu sendiri ialah sifat mushabbahah yang sudah

menunjukkan bahawa air bersifat hidup dan terus hidup berterusan.
Perkara ini dapat diperhatikan kepada manusia dan binatang sebagai contoh benda

hidup. Air dalam badan manusia dan binatang menghidupkan pergerakan darah dan sistem
aliran darah. Ketiadaan air dalam badan mengakibatkan sistem badan tidak berfungsi dan
tidak hidup. Hal yang sama juga berlaku pada tumbuhan yang hidup dengan adanya air dan
cahaya matahari untuk menjalani fotosistesis, pencernaan, pergerakan akar dan sebagainya.
Justeru, dapat dikatakan bahawa air sebenarnya bersifat hidup dan ia penghidup kepada
sesuatu yang bernyawa.

Input dari ayat ini memberi petunjuk kepada manusia supaya merenung semula asal
kejadian manusia yang bermula daripada air. Bermula dari setitik air yang disebut cairan air
mani seterusnya berkembang menjadi manusia yang sempurna penciptaannya. Perkara ini
dinyatakan dalam ayat berikut yang berbunyi:

‫ً َو ُه َو الا ِذي َخ َل َق ِم َن ا ْل َماء بَ َشراً َف َج َع َلهُ نَ َسباً َو ِص ْهراً َو َكا َن َربُّ َك قَ ِديرا‬

Dan Dia lah Tuhan yang menciptakan manusia dari air lalu dijadikannya (mempunyai) titisan
baka dan penalian keluarga (persemendaan) dan sememangnya Tuhanmu berkuasa
(menciptakan apa jua yang dikehendakiNya) (al-Furqan 25: 54)

Bertitik dari setitis air terbentuklah satu makhluk disebut bayi yang hidup dalam rahim
dikelilingi oleh air ketuban. Jika direnungkan, bayi yang hidup dikelilingi air ketuban dalam
rahim sudah pasti akan mati namun air tersebut menjadikannya hidup dan terus hidup hingga
ke peringkat kelahiran. Maka, benarlah apa yang telah disebut oleh al-Qur’an bahawa air
bersifat hidup dan terus hidup kerana ia menghidupkan sesuatu.

Surah al-Qasas (Ayat 23)

‫َ َو َل اما َو َر َد َمآء‬ ‫قَا َل‬ ‫تَذُو َدا ِن‬ ‫ا ْم َرأَتَ ْي ِن‬ ‫ال انا ِس يَ ْس ُقو َن ِمن ُدونِ ِه ُم‬ ‫َع َل ْي ِه أُ ام ًة ِم َن‬ ‫ُ ََمماْديََخ َن ْطبَُو ُك ََجماَد‬
‫َحتاى ُي ْص ِد َر ال ِر َعآء‬ ‫قَا َلتَا َلَ َن ْس ِقى‬
Dan tatkala ia sampai di telaga air negeri Madyan, ia dapati di situ sekumpulan orang-orang

lelaki sedang memberi minum (binatang ternakan masing- masing). dan ia juga dapati di

sebelah mereka dua perempuan yang sedang menahan kambing-kambingnya. dia bertanya:

Apa hal kamu berdua? Mereka menjawab: Kami tidak memberi minum (kambing-kambing

kami) sehingga pengembala-pengembala itu membawa balik binatang ternak masing-masing

(al-Qasas 28: 23)

135

1. Tafsir

Dalam ayat tersebut, al-Shawkani (1994) menyebutkan tentang perjalanan Nabi Musa
yang keluar dari Mesir menuju ke Madyan. Apabila tiba di situ dia mendapati ada sekumpulan
manusia sedang memberi minum kepada ternakan masing-masing. Nabi Musa melihat dan
memerhatikan mereka yang memberi minum kepada ternakan lalu ternampak dua orang
perempuan bersama kambing menunggu untuk memberikan air minum kepada kambing.

Bertitik tolak dari kenyataan ini, persinggahan Nabi Musa ke Madyan menjadikannya
terselamat daripada dibunuh oleh Fir’aun setelah keluar dari Mesir. Persinggahan Nabi Musa
ke Madyan juga merupakan titik permulaan kehidupan baru baginda apabila bertemu jodoh
dengan anak perempuan Nabi Shuaib. Maka, hikmah di sebalik kehidupan baru ini ialah
sebagai satu tempoh bertenang kepada baginda dalam beberapa tempoh yang agak lama
sebelum baginda kembali semula ke bumi Mesir.

2. Gaya bahasa

al-Hadhf (penguguran)

Berpandukan ayat tersebut, terdapat satu aspek gaya bahasa yang terserlah iaitu al-

hadhf dan ia dapat dikaitkan dengan al-ma’. Memerhatikan kepada keseluruhan ayat ini,

perkataan yang digugurkan tersebut ialah ‫ أغنامهم‬atau ‫ مواشيهم‬yang berada dalam

kedudukan sebagai maf’ul (objek).
Ayat ini dimulakan dengan menyebut air telaga Madyan sebagai sumber utama air

masyarakat penduduk setempat. Ini bermakna air tersebut bukan sekadar sumber utama

masyarakat malah juga minuman kepada binatang ternakan mereka. Justeru, pengguguran
perkataan dalam ayat ini menggambarkan sifat keprihatinan terhadap binatang ternakan yang

ditujukan kepada masyarakat di situ. Tambahan lagi, ia juga menyerlahkan sifat akhlak terpuji
Nabi Musa yang ingin ditonjolkan gambaran ayat ini.

Apa yang ingin disampaikan dalam ayat ini ialah mencontohi akhlak terpuji Nabi Musa

yang membantu golongan yang lemah iaitu perempuan dalam hal pengembalaan. Menternak

atau mengembala ialah pekerjaan golongan lelaki kerana ia memerlukan kekuatan dan banyak

tenaga untuk mengawal serta menyelia jumlah ternakan yang banyak. Justeru, hikmah di

sebalik pengguguran perkataan tersebut dalam ayat menunjukkan jumlah binatang ternakan

itu banyak dan tidak dinyatakan bilangannya. Atas dasar ini, Nabi Musa membantu dua orang

perempuan tersebut untuk mengambil air dan memberi minum kepada semua binatang itu

tidak kira jumlahnya sama ada sedikit atau banyak serta kuantiti air yang diberikan. Kerajinan

seperti ini seharusnya dipupuk dan disemai dalam diri manusia dengan menjadikan baginda

sebagai model.

Maka, al-Qur’an menyeru kepada manusia supaya sentiasa bersikap bekerjasama dan

tolong-menolong antara sesama manusia atau haiwan tanpa mengira usia, jantina, pangkat

dan darjat. Contoh yang dipaparkan oleh Nabi Musa ini mencerminkan keperibadian baginda

serta keperihatinannya terhadap manusia dan haiwan untuk dibantu. Dalam ayat yang lain

juga al-Qur’an melakarkan hal ini dengan menyebut: ‫َوتَ َعا َونُوا َعلَى البِ ِر َوالتا ْق َوى‬

Dan hendaklah kamu bertolong-tolongan untuk membuat kebajikan dan bertaqwa (al-Ma’idah

5: 2)

136

KESIMPULAN

Dari perbincangan ini, lafaz al-ma’ yang terkandung dalam Al-Qur’an telah dibincangkan
dan dikupas satu persatu setiap ayat tersebut dari sudut tafsir, balaghah dan kemudian nilai
tarbiyah atau positif yang dapat dirungkaikan. Dalam kupasan ini, lafaz-lafaz tersebut pada
hakikatnya memberikan nilai murni yang seharusnya dihayati dalam kehidupan bersama dan
antaranya berbuat amal kebajikan terhadap air melalui manusia sebagai khalifah, pangkat dan
darjat bukanlah jaminan untuk mewarisi keimanan dan ketaqwaan, pengiktirafan Allah sebagai
satu tuhan yang maha esa, penghayatan terhadap asal usul kejadian manusia daripada air
dan sikap bekerjasama serta tolong-menolong antara satu sama lain.

Setiap lafaz al-ma’ tersebut memberikan penjelasan yang bersesuaian dengan kondisi
ayat Al-Qur’an serta kisah yang tersirat. Tuntasnya, perlu diyakini bahawa setiap perkataan
dalam Al-Qur’an bukan sekadar hiasan semata-mata, tetapi ia mempunyai sebab tersendiri.
Sehubungan itu, lafaz al-ma’ mempunyai peranan dalam menjelaskan sesuatu kejadian atau
sebab terhadap sesuatu perkara dalam Al-Qur’an. Sebagai kesimpulannya, setiap penjelasan
dan perincian yang telah dinyatakan adalah bertujuan untuk mengingatkan manusia tentang
kebesaran dan kekuasaan Allah yang tiada tolak bandingannya.

RUJUKAN

Al-Qur’an al-Karim

al-Baqi, Muhammad Fu’ad Abd. 2001. al-Mu’jam al-Mufahras li alfaz al-Qur’an al-Karim.
Qaherah: Matba’ah Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyyah.

al-Baydawi, Muhammad al-Shirazi. 2000. Tafsir al-Baydawi.Bayrut: Muassasah al-
Ayman.

Jasim, Layth Sa’ud. 2015. Anwa’ al-Ma’ fi al-Qur’an al-Karim wa Dilalatuha al-‘Ilmiyyah.
Majallah al-Islam fi Asia 12(1): 31-55.

Ibn Kathir, ‘Imad al-Din Abi al-Fida’. 1998. Tafsir Ibn Kathir. Bayrut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah.

Muhammad, Salah al-Din Salim. 2010. Lafz al-Ma’ wa ma Yadullu ‘Alayhi fi Nusus min al-
Tanzil. Majallat Abhath Kuliyyat al-Tarbiyyah al-Asasiyyah 9(4): 279-297.

al-Madani, al-Sayyid Ali Sadr al-Din bin Ma’sum. 1968. Anwar al-Rabi’ fi Anwa’ al-
Badi’. Matba’ah al-Nu’man.

Saihood, Khawlah Salih. 2019. Jamaliyyah al-Tashbih fi al-Suwar al-Makkiyyah.al-
Majallah al-Dawliyyah li al-‘Ulum al-Insaniyyah wa al-Ijtima’iyyah 9(1) 1-15.

Sa’ad, ‘Aisat Qaddur. 2015. Jamaliyyat al-Mathal fi al-Qur’an al-Karim Dirasah Uslubiyyah.
Tesis Sarjana. Jabatan Bahasa dan Kesusasteraan Arab, Universiti Oran.

Saihud, Khaulah Salih, 2019. Jamaliyyah Tashbih fi al-Suwar al-Makkiyyah. al-Majallah al-
Dauliyyah li al-‘Ulum al-Insaniyyah wa al-Ijtima’iyyah. 9(1): 1-15.

137

al-Sayyid, Muhammad Husin Ali, Zul Azhan Abdul Halim & Kamarul Syukri Mat The.
2017. Dirasah Tahliliyyah li Muhsanah al-Tibaq fi Suwar al-Nur. Jurnal Islam Dan
Masyararkat Kontemporari. 15(1): 159-176.

al-Sahari, Abu Muhammad Abdullah bin Muhammad al-Azdi. 466H. al-Ma’ Awwal
Mu’jam al-Tibbiy Lughawiy fi al-Tarikh. Oman.

al-Shawkani, Muhammad bin ‘Ali bin Muhammad. 1994. Fath al-Qadir. Qaherah: Dar al-
Hadith

al-Tabataba’i, Muhammad Husin. 1997. al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Qur’an. Bayrut: Mu’assasah al-
A’lami

Yaaqob, Luay Hatem. 2014. al-Dilalat al-Lughawiyyah li al-Ma’ fi al-Nas al-Qur’ani
Dirasah Balaghiyyah. Anemon MSU Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 2(2): 43-62.

al-Za’arir, Ghalib Muhammad Raja. 2003. al-Ma’ fi al-Qur’an al-Karim. Madinah al-
Munawwarah: Maktabat Dar al-Zaman.

al-Zuhayli, Wahbah. 2009. Tafsir al-Munir fi al-‘Akidah wa al-Shari’ah wa al-Manhaj. Dimashq:
Dar al-Fikr.

138

Product Awareness, Quality of Services and Advertising
Strategy on Islamic Banking Products Towards Bank

Profitability

Sarah Sabir Ahmad

Faculty of Business and Management
Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Kedah, Malaysia

[email protected]

Norashikin Abdul Hamid

Faculty of Business and Management
Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Kedah, Malaysia

Muhammad Khairul Zamir Abdul Aziz

Faculty of Business and Management
Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Kedah, Malaysia

Noor Azraniza Idris

Faculty of Business and Management
Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Kedah, Malaysia

Azfahanee Zakaria

Faculty of Business and Management
Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Kedah, Malaysia

[email protected]

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the awareness of
product, quality of services and advertising strategies on Islamic bank profitability. Customers

of Islamic banking who do not incur any transactions of Islamic banking products at banks that
offer Islamic banking products and services in the northern region of Malaysia (consists of

three states which are Perak, Kedah, Perlis) were taken as the respondents in this study. Self-

administered questionnaire was used for collection of data. This finding identified that the
quality of product has a significant impact on the bank’s profitability. Therefore, this study

provides recommendations on the actions and steps for consideration for the banks to improve
their profitability.

Keywords: awareness of Islamic banking, Islamic Banking profitability, advertising for
Islamic Banking, Islamic Banking, quality of services and product of Islamic Banking

.
INTRODUCTION

Islamic banking originated from Islamic financial system, which is based on a
commercial law known as fiqh al-mua’malat. Social justice, equity, and fairness in all business
transactions are the issues that are covered under this law, so as to promote entrepreneurship,
protect the property rights and the contractual obligations that are done with transparency and
justice (Salman & Nawaz, 2018). All these are agreeing to celestial law of Allah and his last
Prophet Nabi Muhammad (SAW). In Islamic banking, there is no Riba or interest (usury),
gharar or uncertainty, maisir or gambling and non-halal(prohibited) activities as all these are

139

not allowed in Islamic law. The amount of returns must not be pre-determined, and only returns
that come as a result from risk of loss and variability of profits are allowed (Ariss, 2010). Thus,
all activities must be shari’a compliance. As opposed to conventional banking which is money
based, Islamic banking is asset-based banking which is not based on interest rate systems.
In order to accommodate with Muslims’ financial needs and assistance, many Islamic
countries have established Islamic financial institutions. Islamic banks have grown ever since
at the end of the 1970s and early 1980s in many countries, such as Egypt, Sudan, the Gulf
States, Pakistan, Iran, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Turkey (Antonio, 2001). The number of
banking institutions has increased from 176 in year 1997 to 267 in year 2004, according to the
Bahrain Monetary Agency in 2004. The statistics are taken from 60 countries around the world.
It is admitted that the Islamic banking industry is the fastest growing sector in Muslims country
with a growth rate of 15% per annum (Zaher & Hassan in Fitriah & Hartanti, 2010).

STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM

Referring to Fitch Ratings (2019), Malaysian Islamic Banking Review, the data showed
that the profitability of Islamic Banking sector in Malaysia is lower compared to conventional
banks. It is unusual because Islamic Banking products are ‘riba’ or interest free and beneficial
for depositors and customers. This question is, why Islamic Banking is not preferred by some
customers in the Northern Region in Malaysia? The aim of this research is to determine the
most important factors that influence the Islamic Bank profitability. There are three possible
factors that have been identified for the purpose of conducting the research which comprise
of quality of product, quality of services and marketing and advertising strategy. In referring to
the above mentioned by Fitch Ratings (2019) of the data stated by Malaysian Islamic Banking
Review, it is interesting to see the outcomes of this study as the global financial crisis in 2018
had happened before due to the interest-based economies. During that time, the interest rate
was brought nearly to zero that has affected the countries, which had very successful markets
and were leading the world. Islamic banking was not affected by the crisis as it is an interest-
free banking system which is asset-based banking as opposed to conventional banking that
is money-based (Anwar, 2012). Thus, it is expected that the outcomes of this study will reveal
other dimensions in regard with factors that can influence customers to prefer conventional
banking over Islamic Banking in Malaysia. This study will be guided by the following research
objectives and research questions.

This study aims to determine the relationship between awareness of Islamic banking
products, quality of services and advertising strategy effect towards bank profitability. Various
significance has been identified when this study was conducted. Among them is the ability to
identify the factors that affect the profitability of Islamic Banking, which is a very valuable
knowledge to have clearer understanding and advance research for the Islamic banking
sector. Besides, this study is practical whereby it plays roles as a reference for the Islamic
banking sector. This is also to have a better engagement with customers to improve their
profitability. The company can plan on adjustments for the strategy of management by
improving it and avoiding the pointless and negative factors that contribute to the profitability.

But, there are few challenges and limitations encountered by the researcher. Firstly,
the participants were unwilling to answer honestly and the data did not correlate appropriately
due to incorrect answer response. Besides that, the duration of conducting the research is
limited and the researcher has to struggle to complete the research. Due to the situation by
the time this research is conducted, the researcher faced lack of resources issue as Malaysia
is facing pandemic Covid-19. Therefore, the method to collect the data using the questionnaire
is changed to google form via the internet to follow the standard operating procedure (SOP)
set by the Minister of Health Malaysia (KKM) which leads to lack of responses from the
respondents due to no face to face interactions involved.

140

LITERATURE REVIEW

Quality of Services

It is undeniable that quality of services depends on the ways of how bank employees
offer the services to the customers. In doing so, employees need to reflect a good image so
that a clean and trusted image of the bank can be promoted, and more loyal customers can
be gained. Plus, services must always be upgraded to cope with any inefficiency in dealing
with customers. Over time, Islamic banking has changed its service system to attract more
customers and gain their satisfaction. Modern banking systems have slowly taken over the
traditional banking service to accommodate the customers’ current needs. According to
Aldarabseh (2019), a wide range of services has been introduced into the banking sector
which includes online services such as wire transfer. This is related to the priority given to
customer satisfaction in service-based commerce so that business can be sustained,
development can be carried out in the long run and competition capabilities can be increased.
High quality services means qualified and well-trained personnel to deal with customers in
systematic manners. Customer satisfaction is related to customer loyalty, whereby highly
satisfied customers tend to repeatedly use the services offered by Islamic baking. In this light,
customer loyalty can be affected by many factors. A study done by Akhtar, N; Shouqat, Raza,
Akhtar, Ijaz, Maqsood (2016) found that customer satisfaction is positively related with
customer loyalty, in which the findings showed that there is a significant result between
customer satisfaction and service quality. This further proves that quality of service can
influence the loyalty among customers in using the Islamic banking system.

Advertising and Marketing Strategy

In order to attract customers to buy and use the products and services provided,
marketing and advertising strategies are crucial to be implemented. This covers a set of goals
and objectives, policies and rules that Islamic banking system focuses on while carrying out
the marketing efforts in stages, from time to time, according to Solichun, Shafei, Setiawan &
Solimun (2013). This is a prime step in facing any challenges in going through a competitive
environment and different circumstances that face many changes. Similarly, Sculley in Kotler
& Susanto (2000) defined marketing strategy as different steps and actions are integrated by
a company to sustain its competitive advantage so that it can maintain its strong capabilities
in going through difficult times. In relation to the competitive advantage, marketing and
advertising strategy need to emphasise on the uniqueness of products and services instead
of price. This is to highlight the special traits and characteristics of Islamic banking system and
thus, to distinguish the differences between the Islamic banking system and conventional
banking. As posited by Widana, Wiryono, Purwanegara, Toha (2015), in order to differentiate
between the ethics between Islamic banking and conventional banks, marketing strategies
should emphasise on the unique quality of services instead of price. Unique traits can also be
used to generate positive responses through marketing. As such, good public relations can
lead customers to be aware of the quality products and services offered by Islamic banking.
For instance, a study done by Al-Kandari, Gaither, Alfahad, Dashti, & AlSaber (2015) found
that visual communication through Instagram used by Islamic banks in Kuwait is useful not
only to disseminate information, but also to engage interactively with customers. The
researchers thus further found that this leads to a good public image of the banks as customers
who are interested with the promotion can directly ask the bank personnel about the products
or services. It can be concluded that marketing strategy can assist in increasing the customer
awareness on Islamic banking products and services. Companies should use a variety of

141

mediums to attract more customers so that more profits can be gained through sustainable
relationships with 8 customers. Thus, it can be said that raising customer awareness on the
products and profitability is crucial to achieve a win-win situation between the Islamic banks
and the customers. Customer awareness on Islamic banking products is not just related to
religious principles. As most Islamic banking customers are Muslims, they also look at other
aspects. Ahmad, Kashifur-Rahman & Safwan, (2011) found that scores for customer
satisfaction among the customers of Islamic banks are greater than those of conventional
banks in comparing Islamic and conventional banking based on customer satisfaction in
Pakistan. The reasons for such findings are the customers’ greater perception towards the
human element of service, tangible services, systemization of service delivery and social
responsibility, as opposed to the perception among customers of conventional banks.

Quality of Product

Good product quality can attract customers to buy and invest their money into the banks.
Good quality products can help a bank to build trust with customers, thus increasing a bank’s
credibility. In Islamic banking, the same is applied but with Shari’a compliance, based on
Islamic commerce law called fiqh al-mu’amalat which covers the fairness of business
transactions. The principles applied in Islamic banking are money should only be used in
exchanging with goods and services, and sharing of risk and returns must be equal. Another
principle applied is anything related with “maisir” or gambling, and “gharar” (speculative
trading) is prohibited. That is why Islamic banking is also known as interest rate free systems.
As opposed to the conventional banking system that is money based, Islamic banking is asset-
based banking in which the banks have to own their goods that they sell, and this means the
banks must pay more taxes and registration costs. This increases the overall costs, which
eventually are paid by the client. There are many products offered by Islamic banking, starting
from profit and loss sharing accounts or Mudarabah, Islamic savings and investments products
until trade with mark up or also known as Murabaha. Other products are Islamic bonds or
Sukuk, joint ventures or partnerships (Musharakah), sales contract or also called as Salam,
leasing contract or Ijarah, and interest-free loans or Qard-e-Hasna. Ensuring customers to buy
and use products and thus, to invest their money into the banks is crucial so that more profits
can be generated. In doing so, satisfaction among customers need 9 to be looked at to ensure
a maintained relationship is established. According to a study done by Bashir, M.S (n.d) which
analysed customers’ satisfaction with the Islamic Banking Sector in Brunei Darussalam, it is
evident that service quality and product quality can affect satisfaction awareness, whereby the
effects were positive and significant. The study also found that the respondents were aware
of Islamic banking products, due to profitability and religious principles.

Bank Profitability

It is defined through various perspectives by many researchers as its significance is
important to be highlighted in relation to Islamic banking. Nienhaus (1983) stated that there is
a link between profitability in Islamic banking and market structure. He highlighted the positive
relationship between profit-sharing ratio and the conventional banks’ lending rate, therefore
suggested that Islamic banks should use the interest rate in calculating profit-sharing ratio. He
also suggested that the profit-sharing ratio should be equivalent to conventional banks’ interest
rates, as he hypothesized that Islamic banking would be less successful compared to interest-
based banking in the long-run, even though there was no evidence to support this.

142

Awareness

Another important focus in customer awareness is customer satisfaction towards quality
of services. A study done by Hunjra, Akhtar, Akbar, & Rehman (2011) in Pakistan found that
there is a positive correlation between customer satisfaction and constructs of service quality,
such as compliance, assurance, empathy and representativeness. Satisfied customers are
shown to be aware of the diversity of products and services offered as they usually are well-
informed by the bank staff with new information. The results also showed that customer
satisfaction in Pakistani Islamic banks is more affected by compliance and representativeness,
as compared to assurance and empathy. On the contrary, customer awareness and
satisfaction also means that there are suggestions for Islamic banking improvement. Awan, &
Arshad (2019) revealed that customers in Pakistan are aware and satisfied with the products
offered by Islamic banks, but they thought that more products should be varied to suit their
current needs. Latest technology should be used as well, as further suggested by them so that
Islamic banks can have a competitive edge in competing with conventional banks.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Primary data is conducted from direct sources which has not been published yet and the
data is more trustworthy, precise and goals. There are few ways to gather the primary data
which comprises discussions, studies and surveys. In this research, the survey is the leading
method used to gather the data from the respondents. Secondary data describes to the
information that has been collected by the researcher. The data can be gathered by performing
the literature review. The researcher did the research by examining journals, textbooks and
the internet in order to get the secondary data. By performing that, the researcher may obtain
appropriate data and articles that are able to assist the research. This research is intended to
study the relationship between dependent and independent variables. In this study, it involves
hypothesis testing that explains the particular significant correlation amongst dependent and
independent variables. This study intends to explain the factors that impact the relationship
between customer awareness on Islamic Banking products, quality of services, and
advertising strategy towards banks profitability for banks in the northern region of Malaysia.

The target population has the precise and important attributes that are needed for the
study. Therefore, this research focused on obtaining the correct respondents to provide the
ample data. The aim for this research is customers of Islamic banking who do not incur any
transactions of Islamic banking products at banks in the northern region of Malaysia (consists
of three states which are Perak, Kedah, Perlis). Though, there is sampling frame about 210
circulated through google form. Thus, a non-probability sampling method was applied for this
research project. For this research, the customers of Islamic banking who have not done any
transactions of Islamic banking products at banks in the northern region of Malaysia (Perak,
Kedah, Perlis) were the sampling elements. The samples come from different demographic
criteria. Therefore, all the customers have the opportunity to be chosen to take part in
responding to the questionnaire. In this research project, a non-probability technique has been
chosen. The sampling size is 200 respondents. The questionnaires were distributed to the
customers to get responses from them concerning this study. This questionnaire is meant to
get particular information which will help to examine the relationship among the dependent
variables and the independent variable. This research paper is applying Statistical Package
for Social Sciences (SPSS) software to analyse the outcome of questionnaire. The
questionnaire is a type of fixed-alternative questions which is called determinant choice. The
questions are simple to be examined since it is fixed alternative using Likert scale. In this
study, descriptive analysis was used to describe the demographic data of the interviewees,

143