A five-member nasheed group which burst onto the local music scene in 1996, Raihan was invited to represent Malaysia at a royal gala in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1997, in what was their first-ever international gig.
The gala, held in conjunction with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), saw each Commonwealth country deliver a performance.
One of Raihan’s members, Che Amran Idris, told FMT their performance attracted the attention of the queen and Prince Charles, who even went backstage to meet the group.
A year later, Malaysia hosted the 1998 Commonwealth Games, with Queen Elizabeth officiating the closing ceremony.
Che Amran said that before the monarch’s arrival, Raihan was informed by Wisma Putra that Buckingham Palace had requested a meeting between Queen Elizabeth and the group.
The meeting, which Che Amran said was “still fresh in our minds”, was held at Synchrosound Studio in Petaling Jaya, where the group once again recorded their hit song Syukur, which was originally released the year before.
“For that re-recording, the queen pressed the ‘record’ button,” recounted Che Amran.
“After that, we had a short conversation with the queen, who said she respected our work and was pleased that it was well-received.
“She said it helped to promote the ‘smiling face of Islam’ all over the world and she was proud of our success.
“We were really moved by what the queen said and it gave us confidence that we could showcase, and get recognition for, our Malaysian product globally.”
Since that meeting, the group performed in Australia, Canada, China, France, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, the US and other countries.
Calling the studio session a golden opportunity which the group “never thought we would have”, Che Amran was especially thrilled with Queen Elizabeth’s response to the CD they gave her.
“She held it herself, she didn’t want her bodyguard to hold it,” he noted.
She came in through the kitchen
James Nayagam was another Malaysian who was impressed with Queen Elizabeth’s warmth and friendliness during her trip to the country at the close of the 1998 Commonwealth Games.
A vocal children’s rights advocate, Nayagam told FMT how he was contacted by the British High Commission and asked whether “I would like a visit from the queen”.
Needless to say, Nayagam, who was running a children’s home here, agreed.
When Queen Elizabeth arrived a few months later, Nayagam said he was especially impressed with how she eschewed pomp and circumstance.
“She came in through the kitchen.. sat down, chatted with the kids and I, and conducted a tuition class for the children, where she taught them some English,” he said.
“She was so pleasant, and this really cast aside the anxiety I had before meeting her. She was casual and so much at home talking to the children, so that put us at ease.”
The monarch, who spent 45 minutes at the home, was also presented with local handicraft made by the children, who also put on a song and dance performance for the royal visitor.
Queen Elizabeth died on Thursday aged 96 after more than 70 years on the throne.