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Monday, November 17, 2014

A 'surau' in question

jamil khir

I am perturbed when someone said 'after taking Allah from Muslims, now they want to take our mosques...', referring to an incident in Kedah where a group of multi-religious UUM (Universiti Utara Malaysia) held a program in a surau.

No, don't go to that extreme. But yes, it shouldn't be held at a surau or mosque. The best is to call up the organiser and find out what actually happened and why they did it.

Religion is a time-bomb. Those involved in the program could be 'Muslims liberals' with an intention to challenge the authority or invoke Muslims wrath. However, had there been a misunderstanding, things can be corrected.

As Muslim undergraduates, its also beyond comprehension if they say they are not aware of such 'forbiddings'. Anyway, lets listen to what they have to say.
Umno and Perkasa criticised students from Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) for allowing non-Muslims to enter the prayer room uncovered during a programme at a surau in Sintok.
Umno supreme council member Datuk Razali Ibrahim said the move was a clear violation of the sanctity of the house of worship and the students had failed to respect the sensitivity of Muslims in the surrounding area.
"We have to respect the mosque. In a mosque, there are regulations. Anyone from any religion too do not want to see their places of worship be treated in such a disrespectful way," the Muar MP was quoted as saying by Utusan Malaysia today.
It was reported yesterday that about 100 university students held a gathering at the Batu 15 surau but some of the non-Muslims students were said to be dressed inappropriately and even used the mimbar (a pulpit in the mosque where the imam gave his sermon) to deliver speeches.
Razali said action should be taken against those who deliberately flouted the rules inside the surau.
"Those involved should be punished and we have to make sure that they did not repeat this," he said.
Meanwhile, Pertubuhan Peribumi Perkasa (Perkasa) described the students' action as immoral.
"How can one enter a mosque and not be dressed decently? This only shows how low the moral of the students, in respecting Islam," said the Malay rights group's integrity bureau chief Ruslan Kasim.
"I just hope the students are not being used by some parties to realise their agenda to destabilise the country. They should think rationally before doing something," he said.
In the early days, non-Muslims were allowed to take shelter at any mosques from heavy rain and other disasters. They may even seek refuge from their enemies and for other 'emergency' reasons. I believe many agree with this.
In ALOR SETAR: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Jamil Khir Baharom has called on non-Muslims to respect the sanctity of Islam and keep away from mosques if they have no reason to be there. 
He added that everyone should respect the houses of worship of others to avoid offending them.
He hastened to add that while Islam welcomed the practice of different cultures and religions it had to be with certain boundaries. Also, it was not right for non-Muslims to be present at a mosque if they have no reason to be there, he stressed.
“I call on all races and religions to respect the sanctity of places of worship of others, especially mosques, as I am afraid it may trigger issues of conflict, cause discomfort, unhappiness and displeasure leading to disunity and anger,” he said in a statement on Sun in the Jerai constituency.
Islam doesn't separate mosques from churches, and in this case, we need to balance the logic and reasons behind it. Let those come forward and explain.

But if there was a clear intention to insult the religion and incite racial disharmony, we better gauge it immediately and defuse the time-bomb!

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