The controversial Tamadun Islam and Tamadun Asia (Titas) modules which contained erroneous claims about Hindus and Sikhs have incurred the wrath of an MCA leader.

Ti Lian Ker said such episodes are not only demeaning to other faiths, but also cast Muslims in a negative light.

“It is rather unfortunate that Muslims, on the one hand, demand high reverence for their religion but at the same time some are loose cannons when it comes to understanding and respecting the religious practices of others,” he added in a media statement.

The MCA central committee leader was commenting on the slides used by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) for the subject.

The vice-chancellor had agreed to fix the errors expeditiously, but this did not silence demands for action to be taken against those responsible.

Ti, who heads the MCA religious harmony bureau, pointed out that Islam taught its followers to respect, honour and never insult another religion.

“But the said lecturer or head of department had failed to be a better Muslim... It is a weakness of the human ego to belittle the practice of other religions.

“It is even worse if there is a direct reference of one's own religion as superior or above another's,” he said.

Therefore, Ti wanted the authorities to take immediate action on this issue to serve as an example and reminder to others on the need to be more sensitive in future.

“The recent trend of one-upmanship of one religion over another is a sign of inadequacy or immaturity of such individuals.

“What they are doing is in fact giving their religion a bad name and ought to be reprimanded,” he said.

The UTM modules stated that Islam taught Hindus manners and cleanliness, as some of them believed dirt on the body is part of a ritual to attain nirvana.

Another Titas slide circulated online said the founder of Sikhism borrowed elements from Islam, but had poor understanding of the religion.