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Malaysian Catholics emphatise with Swiss Muslims

I refer to the Malaysiakini report The politics of the minaret .

As a Christian in Malaysia, I can honestly feel for the Muslims out there in Europe. In fact, the bishops of Switzerland have voiced their concern for the same matter.

More so as a Malaysian Christian, I know what it is like to be discriminated in such a way because this discrimination takes place here in Malaysia as well. But that does not make what the Swiss do right in any way for two wrongs do not a right make especially in cases like this.

Here in Malaysia, it is getting extremely difficult for us to build our own places of worship without having to go through processes and appeals which are so often not even required. This on top of various conditions being imposed.

The Parish of Our Lady of Lourdes had to wait years to put up a four-storey building at the cost of RM8 million when the initial cost of the planned eight-storey building - which was not approved by the authorities - was quoted at only RM4 million well before 1997.

In Shah Alam, where the Catholics were given a piece of land to build a church, next an oxidation pond, the site was later forcefully taken over by the then Umno-led state government led by Muhammad Muhammad Taib.

Following that, we were given the run-around for more than 10 years and shifted around till we were given a factory plot in the industrial area of Glenmarie. The church itself now looks like a factory from the outside. The building does not look like a church and the cross placed on a steeple is missing. This was a requirement, I was told, for the approval of the building.

And that is exactly what these Swiss people are doing to the Muslims there, who like us, require their minarets which is so distinguishable for the structure of a mosque.

More so the requirement to tone down the call to ‘azan’ is an insult to the Muslims and all other people who are God-fearing. How can they place a call to prayer in the category of ‘noise pollution’? These are insensitive people.

Whilst Europe is in the throes of an Islamaphobic trend, the BTN courses in Malaysia - as can be seen by the testimony of those who attended them - has caused government servants to behave in a erratic fashion when it comes to approval for places of worship for people of other religions.

The ‘cow head issue’ regarding the relocation of a Hindu temple in Shah Alam is another indication. That another famous Selangor politician was involved in instigating it is no secret.

In Europe, the rise of the far right is increasingly becoming a threat to mankind whilst in the East, Islamic fundamentalism is doing the same, It is indeed an extremely difficult and dangerous road to tread.

In Malaysia, the ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ concept preached by Umno is also a far right approach by extremists and when they exist in Umno, they practice fascism and apartheid where they see themselves as a superior race.

In the light of all this, it is not difficult for me as a Catholic Malaysian to empathise with the Muslims in Switzerland. I can safely say that the Malaysian Catholics will pray for you in the face of such unreasonable challenges.

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