Having a proper place of worship for Muslims is not a new issue for Muslims living in Taman Kajang Prima (TKP), located next to the last toll booth of the Silk highway if you are heading towards Semenyih, a 'taman' located just next to Taman Jasmin, three kilometres away from Kajang Town. The issue of a 'surau' had even become a strategic issue for election campaigns in the last general election.

A few banners with indirect meanings like 'Kami sayang Umno, Kami Hormat Pak Lah, Tapi 8 tahun kami menunggu surau' were placed in several strategic places around Kajang, few days before polling day.

The 'surau/masjid' has become an unresolved issue to the Muslim community in TKP when the developer sold a parcel of land meant for a mosque to the Silk highway concessionaire which subsequently became the place where the toll booth is now located.

Muslims were then left with no place to perform their prayers in a congregation. Few plots of land were suggested but this was outrightly rejected by the non-Muslim community who are the majority in TKP.

The management of SK Taman Jasmin 2 which is located at the entrance of TKP later agreed to allow the Muslim community in TKP to use the school's 'surau' but the Muslim residents responded mildly to the offer due to the many restrictions imposed on the usage.

In mid-January this year, a vacant unit of single-storey corner lot house in Jalan KP 2/7, TKP which was previously tenanted by a kindergarten was rented out to a Muslim group which called themselves 'Jawatankuasa Penaja Surau'. It was then converted into a temporary 'surau'. The monthly rent is currently being paid by Silk.

This has now become a new 'time-bomb' ready to explode. Non-Muslims living around the 'surau' have begun collecting signatures protesting the presence of the 'surau' citing reasons such as blocked traffic flow, sound pollution, etc, reasons which the Muslim community refers to as 'signs of them being individualist and not respecting the federal constitution with regards to the position of Islam'.

A few meetings with Kajang municipal councilors have taken place and surveys forms had even been distributed by the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) to non-Muslims residents living around the 'surau'. Face-to-face meetings between Muslims and non-Muslims are also scheduled to take place soon. Few unwarranted incidents have also started to happen which reflect the desperation and frustration of the protesting groups.

The issue is rather simple. Non-Muslims claim that the call for prayer especially during 'fajar' (subuh) is a nuisance labelled as 'pencemaran suara' the term used in one of the protest letters sent to MPKj.

The Muslims responded by arguing that a group of non-Muslims had already been jogging around the track located just in front of the 'surau' at the time when the 'fajar azan' is called. They come to the track as early as 5.45 in the morning. Additionally, the sound of school buses and cars using the main road in front of the 'surau' could clearly be heard as early as 6am.

'Why they never complained then?' argued one resident. Moreover, the sound of an 'azan' from the nearby Taman Bukit Mewah 'surau', located adjacent to TKP but on the other side of the Silk highway is even louder. So strange that they never complained about that.

The non-Muslims went even further by arguing that residents should never use houses as a places of worship. One complainant stated in her letter that the reason why she bought her current single-storey unit located just few doors away from the 'surau' is that a 'surau' was never mentioned in the layout development plan to be anywhere near her house.

Muslims then took photograph of a small non-Muslim temple illegally built along Jalan KP 3/1 just next to the SMK Taman Jasmin 2 bus stop, counterclaiming that they never complained about the presence of such an illegal 'non-Muslim surau'.

This temple is located very near to a few Muslim residences. But Muslims pay no attention to the illegal structure citing tolerance. Rumours have been circulating that the non-Muslim community in TKP are now planning to build amother temple in response to the presence of the 'surau' but the Muslims are welcoming the move. 'Who cares?' says one Muslim resident.

When the issue of traffic flow was brought up, Muslims in TKP counterargued by saying that there are a lot of other cars parked indiscriminately along the many 'jalan' all over TKP and they never complained. Why is it that when we park our car in a proper manner near the 'surau' they start making noise?

Even the non-Muslims living near the 'surau' frequently park their cars outside the house, sometimes at the T-junction near where the 'surau' is located. 'We never considered that as obstructing the traffic flow and neither will it be one. it will never become one,' says one Muslim resident.

It is interesting to see how Pakatan Rakyat will handle this delicate issue and how Umno will politicise or manipulate this issue. Hopefully there will be no 'cow head-type' of residents in TKP. Let's pray for that.