Authorities ‘building fences’ between faiths, say religious leaders

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 Repressive laws that saw a Johor resort operator arrested for letting Buddhists use a Muslim prayer room are creating further barriers between the religions in multicultural Malaysia, non-Muslim leaders said today

Rev Dr Hermen Shastri, the general secretary of the Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM), said that during an international interfaith conference between Muslims and Christians he attended in Indonesia last May, Christian participants were taken to the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, where they could observe Muslim prayers and also engage in their own prayers in another room in Southeast Asias largest mosque.

Today, the authorities are building fences to keep religions apart by restrictive regulations, Shastri told The Malay Mail Online via email today.

It offers a poor witness to the hospitality that lies at the centre of all faiths. How can interfaith relations be built up if people cant come into contact and appreciate the religious houses of others? added the representative of the umbrella body of Protestant churches.

On Monday, a resort operator in Johor was arrested by the police for injuring or defiling a place of worship after he allegedly allowed Buddhist tourists to pray in a surau (Muslim prayer room) in the hotel.

This followed several media reports highlighting a video uploaded to YouTube showing the incident.

The 85-second video starts with an external shot of a small building and a close-up of what appears to be a sign in Arabic script over a doorway, before going on to show what resembles a prayer session inside the building by a dozen people clad in white, led by a monk in red and saffron.

The resort operator was reported by Malay-language daily Berita Harian last Monday as saying that he did not intend to hurt anyones feelings by allowing Buddhists to use the surau, as other halls in the resort were full.

My intention is to show that Islam is universal and tolerant, the Singapore-born Muslim, who has permanent residence in Malaysia, was quoted as saying.

Johor Islamic Religious Council adviser Datuk Nooh Gadut reportedly said yesterday that the surau in the resort may be demolished as it has been used by non-Muslims for worship.

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Authorities ‘building fences’ between faiths, say religious leaders