Hishammuddin to meet Shah Alam residents
(NST) PUTRAJAYA: Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein will meet residents of Section 23 Shah Alam over the proposed relocation of a 150-year-old Hindu temple from Section 19 to the area, which is dominated by Muslims, many unhappy over the decision.
A protest last Friday involving the use of the head of a freshly slaughtered cow, underscored the depth of feeling.
Hindus hold the cow sacred.
"It is so sensitive. These kinds of incidents can, in a blink of an eye, cause so much tension and affect the harmony of a community," said Hishammuddin.
"This is truly inappropriate and is a serious matter."
On Friday, around 50 protesters carried the cow's head 300m from the Selangor state mosque to the gate of the State Secretariat building.
During the protest, the cow's head was stepped on and spat at.
Hishammuddin, who is also an Umno vice-president, rubbished claims that the protesters were mostly Umno members. He said Pas and PKR members were also involved in the protest.
"This has cut across political ideologies," he said, and he vowed to take stern action against protesters inciting racial and religious hatred.
"We have to put our foot down. It is a sensitive matter, but we want to be fair to everyone and give them a chance to defend themselves."
In Kuala Lumpur, Pas vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar said none of the party's members was involved in Friday's protest.
"I guarantee that no Pas member was involved in the fracas," said Mahfuz at Pas headquarters here yesterday.
He said those residents of Section 23 Shah Alam who claimed that they were Pas members should provide proof that they were.
"If they are, then they should give us their NRIC numbers and we will check our membership list. Pas never had a branch in Section 23."
Mahfuz said that if Pas members were indeed involved in the incident then the party would investigate it and slap them with disciplinary action.
He said he regretted what happened as it gave the wrong impression of Islam.
"Islam never allows for its followers to insult other religions and their followers and what they worship."
In Shah Alam, police have sent their investigation papers on the protest to the Deputy Public Prosecutors' office for its recommendations.
District police chief Assistant Commissioner Noor Azam Jamaludin said investigations were carried out under the Sedition Act and the police had recorded more than 100 statements.
He said any new classification of the case depended on the recommendations of the DPP's office.
He said the police were still compiling all the police reports lodged nationwide over the incident.
Numerous individuals and groups have condemned what happened during the protest.
Walls, pipes and metal hoardings in Section 23 have also been spray-painted with messages opposing the relocation of the temple to the area and calling local elected representatives "traitors".
