Seri Setia state assemblyperson Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad has defended the planned construction of a church in his constituency.

Responding to a demonstration on the matter today, he said Islam does not teach its followers to deprive people of other faiths of their place of worship.

 

"Islam does not teach us to prevent the construction of places of worship of other religions," he told Malaysiakini when contacted.

Nik Nazmi added the said location had long been earmarked for non-Muslim place of worship.

 

"The area is already zoned as an area for place of worship other than Islam," he said.

 

Nik Nazmi (right) , who is also state executive councillor in charge of education, was asked to respond to a protest in Bandar Sunday, Petaling Jaya against the construction of the four-storey Emmanuel Assembly Church.

 

Ishak Maarof, who leads the Pro-tem Committee against the Construction of PJS8 Church, had claimed that 70 percent of the population in the area are Muslims and therefore is not suitable for the building.

 

"We feel that it would be an insult if they (the local council) build a four-storey church in a Malay-Muslim area," he had said.

Muslim sensitivity

 

He had also slammed Nik Nazmi for supposedly being "insensitive" to the feelings of Muslims in the area.

The church is to be situated along Jalan PJS 8/9 and if approved, will comprise one floor for parking, one floor for prayers, and two mezzanine floor for other facilities.

 

Earlier, pro-Umno blogs had also questioned the church’s location next to a low-cost flat, questioning if there is a hidden agenda to convert to mostly Muslim urban poor to Christianity.