Not in the name of Islam, please

In Shah Alam all areas are Malay majority. So does that mean no places of worship of other religions can be built in Shah Alam? Anyway, according to statistics Section 23 have a substantial number of Hindus residing there.

By MOHSIN ABDULLAH/MySinchew

I'll just make my comments short before I get too emotional.

As a Muslim it makes me sad, ashamed and angry that a group of Malays marched from the Selangor state mosque to the state secretariat parading a severed cow head to protest the relocation of a Hindu temple in Shah Alam.

With all the laws of the land, it's simply baffling that the march was "allowed." And at the gates of the state secretariat the group was allowed to indulge in acts of provocation including giving speeches threatening blood shed. Yes I know now the police are investigating but the group had already did what they did.

Only moments earlier the same group of Malays had listened to the sermon of the Imam, then performed the Friday prayers in the holy month of Ramadan. Surely at the end of the prayers the group also joined the congregation in the doa asking Allah for forgiveness for the wrongs that were done, asking for Allah's blessings and asking Allah to bestow peace and prosperity for all. Didn't they learn anything from the time they were in the mosque?

So they were protesting against the relocation of the Hindu temple from Section 19 to Section 23 where they are staying, citing Malay majority area as reason. In Shah Alam all areas are Malay majority. So does that mean no places of worship of other religions can be built in Shah Alam? Anyway, according to statistics Section 23 have a substantial number of Hindus residing there. Don't they know Islam is tolerant of other religions? That Islam acknowledges the right of non-Muslims to practice their faith and have their own places of worship?

Also the state government had met residents of Section 23 to explain the reasons for the relocation of the temple and had allayed their fears and concerns with regards to the exact location of the temple etc. In fact this Saturday (Sept 5) another dialogue session will be held. It's obvious that the group that marched to the state secretariat recently do not want to accept what ever explanation given. It's clear that they want the state government to abandon the relocation plan. They won't have it any other way.

Still, parading something sacred to people of other faith, like what they had done, is totally unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.

Just who are these people? The state government are saying they are a small group out to make trouble. That they do not represent the Malay residents of Section 23, the majority of which they say are tolerant of other religions. I sincerely hope so. But I can say for sure many Muslims/Malays respect the rights of non Muslims.

Some say the group that marched with the cow head on Friday August 28 are made up of people who have an axe to grind with the present state government. That they want to wreck the stability in the state in an effort to bring down the government. Fact or mere allegations? I don't know. But I just want to say this to them. Don't you dare say you acted in the name of Islam.