'With knowledge and education, comes acceptance. We have become so divided we can't even have an interfaith dialogue. Is it any wonder that racism and religious bigotry prevails?’
Scholars: Islam doesn't bar non-Muslims from mosques
Mahindar Singh: Well said, Mohd Asri Zainal Abidin. Sadly there are people who have nothing to do but create problems. Islam is one the most tolerant religions, unfortunately there are people distorting it. All too are welcome to the Sikh, Hindu and Chinese temples and churches.
Swipenter: It is hard to understand why some people would want to trivialise their own race and religion by making issues out of non-issues.
AnakPinang: How are Malaysian going to know about the dos and don'ts of each other's religion when we don't have religious education - an exploration and learning towards an awareness about other people's cultures and beliefs? We have made religion such a taboo subject in our schools and in our daily lives that we really have no avenue to learn about each other's beliefs.
How many non-Muslims actually know about the five pillars of Islam? How many Muslims actually understand the reasons for the different gods in other religions or the representation of these gods as idols?
Incidents such as these don't help either, and cast a negative perception on Islam. With knowledge and education, comes acceptance. Right now in Malaysia, we have become so divided we can't even have an interfaith dialogue. Is it any wonder that racism and religious bigotry prevails? So, kudos to Asri for setting the record straight yet again.
Lee Chee Seng: Entering a place of worship wholeheartedly to do a good deed is considered an offence? What nonsense is this?
Anonymous: Islam, like all other religions, preach compassion, tolerance and acceptance of all regardless of one's race, creed or religion. It is people who misconstrue the teachings (through their lack of understanding) that creates all the mess that the world is seeing. Some of their doings; like the Talibans, are giving Islam a poor perception. All the talk about "We are brethrens" doesn't appear to hold true.
Disgusted: DAP MP Teo Nie Ching must apologise to the sultan for her actions. But as Asri and Tok Guru Nik Abdul Aziz has stated, there is nothing wrong for non-Muslims to enter a mosque or surau so long as it has something to do with the surau (in this case, giving money for the betterment of the surau).
As such, our sultan would look foolish to accept the apology from Teo because in the first place, there is nothing to apologise for. So in fact, the extremist Muslim/Umno goons and Perkasa’s Ibrahim Ali are taking our beloved sultan for a fool.
Concerned Citizen: Referring to the fatwa council, YB Teo was not wrong to have gone to the mosque. However, the council also said one must behave and be appropriate at all times in the mosque to preserve the sanctity of the institution. It would have been good if YB Teo wore a head scarf and maybe loose-fitting clothes.
However, I do not blame YB Teo for she might have been ignorant to the fact. I applaud her for wanting to apologise to the sultan and hope everyone learns from this episode.
PAS and PKR however, seem to not understand or just choose not to understand, of which I am sad and disappointed. Don't try to defend what is already wrong, or as the Malay saying goes, “jangan tegakkan benang yang basah.” PAS should also play the role of educating DAP and PKR non-Muslims on the dos and don’ts in Islam.
Tan Cheng Leong: I was in Izmir and Istanbul, Turkey and I have visited the Blue Mosque and few others mosques, as well. I think we should send Ibrahim Ali there and let him see for himself how the Muslims there behave themself. He should learn more about Islam before opening his mouth again.
Adrian Lo: I wonder whether Ibrahim Ali understands the circumstances behind the death of Malcolm X. His death was the result of disputes between him and the Nation of Islam, and had nothing to do with people being against him speaking in churches.
CarL: We have all missed the sultan's point. He said no politics in the place of worship. The Pope, the Dalai Lama and other heads of worship have not said so.
Roland Shen Loong: In September 2007, MCA’s Ng Yen Yen made a visit to Masjid Sri Damansara to present some token gifts to those going on the haj. She came inside the mosque and gave a short speech, but no Umno leader made any ruckus of it. You can check it up with the mosque on the visit. I bet the mosque still has some photos of the visit.
In November 2006, during his three-day visit to Turkey, Pope Benedict XVI visited the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii). He became the second pontiff to pray silently in a gesture of reconciliation to the Muslim world. The late John Paul II had visited a mosque in Damascus, during a trip to Syria.
Pope Benedict XVI toured the Blue Mosque accompanied by Ali Bardakoglu, the minister of religions affairs. The Grand Mufti of Istanbul, Mustafa Cagri, explained to him the mosque's history and architecture.
The sultan of Selangor, as the head of Islam in the state, should invite more foreign dignitaries to visit the largest mosque in Southeast Asia, the Shah Alam mosque, during these foreign dignitaries’ visits to Malaysia to see how progressive Malaysia is as a Muslim nation.
Utusan attacks non-Muslim opposition MPs again
Myrights: After thinking about recent events, I have come to a conclusion that it appears that Umno is very desperate and they know that if they called another general election now, they will lose.
What they are doing is to try to create social unrest (with the most potent mix of racial and religious issues) so that they can conduct another Ops Lalang or even a May 13 type of operation to survive. They are using Utusan and Perkasa as tools to mount relentless attacks on non-Malays/non-Muslims, with hopes that Malays and non-Malays will hate each other.
When tension is high, a single mindless action will be enough to cause a racial clash. So they are just lighting match after match hoping that next one will be the one.
My dear brothers and sisters, I urge all of you to stay calm and be patient. Pray for peace and reconciliation. Wait for the next GE and kick Umno/BN off for good. Then we can round them all up and lock them up.
Mohd Hazwan: Dear PM Najib Abdul Razak, can you sense the crumbling of your so-called 1Malaysia philosophy right in front of your eyes by the so-called national media - Utusan Malaysia. Please do something immediately.
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