KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — A group of 100 Malay protesters congregated in front of Masjid al-Ikhlasiah in Kampung Kerinchi here today to protest against a lawyer from the Malaysian Chinese Association(MCA) who purportedly applied pressure to stop the mosque from using loudspeakers to play the Muslim call to prayer.The group, consisting of members from Muslim welfare group Pekida and Malay rights NGO Perkasa, claimed that a “Chinese lawyer” had demanded the mosque stop the “azan” (call to prayer) recital.
The demonstrators also held posters naming the lawyer and displaying what they claim to be his home address in Pantai Hill Park condominium. At the protest, the chairman of Pekida’s Lembah Pantai chapter, Zakaria Awang, demanded that the man be arrested for sedition.- “We want him to be arrested under the Internal Security Act for threatening national harmony or he can change his citizenship to a nationality of his own liking,” he said. He added that the “lawyer” should also make an open apology to the Muslim community in the country.
- The group also distributed copies of a fax purportedly from the man, and said to have been sent to the Prime Minister’s Office asking for the volume of the mosque’s loudspeakers to be lowered. In the letter dated December 20, 2010, the man said that he has been a member of MCA since 1998.
He said that he has been living in Pantai Hill Park for five years and was roused in the mornings by the mosque’s call for prayers.- “Several months ago, I hear the sound from the mosque to be very loud until that it woke me every morning at 5.45am,” the letter read.
- It is understood that the man identified had once worked for a former MCA president who was also a Cabinet member. The man could not be contacted for confirmation that he had written the letter.
- Kampung Kerinchi Residents Association chairman Fauzi Che Ahmad said the lawyer must respect the sensitivity of the Muslim community.
- Pekida’s Lembah Pantai chapter deputy chairman Sallehudin Yakob also said that the gathering was not political but to protect the sanctity of the religion.
- “We have never complained when the Chinese burned firecrackers in the middle of the night. We never made noise when they burn for hours. Don’t play with fire,” he warned.
The speakers gathered behind a long white banner with the words “Call for prayer is a sacred call.” Other protesters held up placards asking the man to live in the jungle and warning him to not challenge the Muslim community. The crowd also shouted “God is great,” “Long live Islam,” and “Long live the Malays.”
A small minority of protesters asked for the man to be decapitated and his house to be burned down The group also asked Lembah Pantai lawmaker Nurul Izzah Anwar to explain her position on the issue.- After talking to reporters, the group proceeded to wave Pekida’s flag and began burning effigies before the police came and stopped them.
- The mosque is situated near a new commercial development area called Bangsar South, and was first opened 30 years ago, while the lawyer only moved to the Malay-majority neighbourhood about five years ago.
- Pantai Dalam used to be dominated by squatters and low-cost flats but has seen the development of luxury apartments and commercial property in recent years.
The Muslim call for prayer first became a political issue in 2008 when Selangor executive councillor Teresa Kok (left photo) was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for allegedly asking a Puchong mosque to stop playing the azan over its loudspeaker.Kok, who was released a week after her arrest, denied the allegation while the mosque’s committee members also came forward to defend the Selangor DAP chairman.
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