A new RM5.9 million mosque, believed to be the first of its kind in the country with Chinese and Indian features, will be ready for worship in two years time in Kelantan.

Speaking at a ground breaking ceremony for the project he conceptualised, Kelantan Menteri Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat stressed that "Islam is for all and we need to add in other features, beside Malay, as well".

More than 1,000 people turned up to watch the ceremony in Rantau Panjang, 30km from Kota Bharu yesterday. Kelantan Sultan Tuanku Ismail Petra graced the event.

The mosque is a 'gift' to the sultan to commemorate the silver jubilee of his ascension to the Kelantan throne this year. It is named Masjid Jubli Perak Sultan Ismail Petra after the ruler.

The mosque will be built on a 3.7-acres land located in the Rantau Panjang district. Its prayer hall can accommodate 1,000 people and there will also be a multi-purpose hall at the lower ground floor of the building.

The exterior design is similar to the Chinese temple and its designs will be painted green and red. The interior will have designs depicting Indian elements.

References to Chinese temples

According to State Secretary Tengku Shahbuddin Tengku Mohd Ma'asum, another unique design of the mosque is a tower, located next to the prayer hall, which will incorporate a combination of the Muslim attire of kubah , serban and kopiah .

The architects also made references to Chinese temples of the Ming Dynasty and the Thean Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur when they designed the building, he said.

Rantau Panjang MP Abdul Fatah Harun when met said he was glad that the new mosque is being built in his constituency as he believed it will be promoted as tourist site in the state.

Rantau Panjang is the gateway for Malaysians to travel to neighbouring Thailand.

Meanwhile, state executive councillor Husam Musa denied the mosque was aimed to woo non-Muslims following the heavy losses suffered by PAS in the March general election.

He explained that the project was first proposed by Nik Aziz in the state planning committee meeting back in 1997. It was approved by the state exco in September last year. The delay was due to the long time taken in identifying a suitable location.

" Tok Guru (Nik Aziz) has this idea since 1992 after he brought a few Chinese Muslims here. He had also visited several mosques in Beijing and Xi An and had noticed that during subuh prayer in some mosques in China, even non-Muslims also attend the kuliah (religious lecture), so Islam really belong to everyone," he said.