'My tears flow as I read what has happened. I am speechless. It was a sad day today for Malaysia.'
Doc Sarna: Dear prime minister, remember this day - Jan 8, 2010. It is the date that 1Malaysia was cremated. It is the date from which we can no longer live in a country that we can describe as peaceful. It is a date when the people who were supposed to protect us have allowed such shameful acts to be carried out.
It was you, Mr PM, who said demonstrations on mosque premises would be allowed.
All religious premises should be a melting pot of tolerance, not places to spark off the flames of intolerance. Candlelight vigils have been banned, but demonstrations where racial insults are hurled are tolerated. Is this 1Malaysia or is this Malaysia for one group only?
Lvbala: My tears flow as I read what has happened. I am speechless. It was a sad day today for Malaysia.
Mythots: To all Malaysians, this is a sad day for us all, to witness religious intolerance and bigotry. Let us pray for our country. God will not be mocked by the evil that men do. They will pay the price, be assured.
For now, we pray for a peaceful resolution to the problem at hand. When politicians play with religion, they play with fire, which can quickly rage out of control. Time and again, we have seen this happen in history.
Religion is the basis of one's beliefs and existence, take that away from a person, he is nothing but a shell, empty and devoid of meaning. I pray for the level heads to bring this problem to a quick and just solution.
We all believe in God, who teaches us to live in peace. God gave us the power of choice. Let us make good use of it.
Yang: Perhaps the most ironic thing to come out of all this is that while there is unrest in Peninsula Malaysia, the word 'Allah' continues to be used by East Malaysians and in the Malay version of The Herald , just as it has been used for many years before this.
Keturunan Malaysia: Please do not lump everyone under a race or religion as bad and wicked. Evil-doers have existed in every race and religion in the past, they exist now, and they will exist for a long, long time to come. They should be the objects of our scorn, not members of any race or religion.
Moontime: The people involved in these acts of extremism do not deserve to be called Malaysians. Why do my gut feelings tell me the perpetrators are from Umno? Because this party has increasingly become extremist, purportedly as part of the agenda of protecting Islam and Malays.
Let reason and calmness prevail or we risk destroying all that our forefathers built up over the years. Do not play with fire if you do not know how to stop it from spreading. If you are itching for another May 13 incident, I've got news for you: It ain't gonna happen.
Hovid: Please do not blame the Muslims of Malaysia. These are acts perpetrated by a small group of fanatics with ill intentions and to cause fear and tensions. We shall refrain from writing negative comments about our Muslim friends over the Internet. Otherwise, we will fall into their trap. Perhaps they knew the turn-up at this afternoon's protests would be poor, so they resort to these actions.
Bernard Chen: Islam is not a religion of intolerance. No religion teaches such violence as we have seen today. These works are the works of people who have no morals, values or principles. These are the works of the devil, who is against all good, regardless of religion. This is against the peace of our beloved nation.
Nicholas Lim: I was at the church that was burned in Desa Melawati this afternoon. There was a crowd there consisting mostly of church members and their pastor. What struck me was that there was no outward show of anger, no hysterical chanting of retaliation or any other negative actions.
Instead I find that those who were there feel only sadness that such thing can happen in our beloved country. During the interview with Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen, the church's pastor said something like 'we forgive them...'.
It nearly brought tears to my eyes. His beloved church has be burned to the ground... but instead of stirring up the emotions of his flocks, he appeal for calm and ask all to forgive those who had done the damage.
This is what I called 'the true teaching'. By the way, I am not a Christian. I am a student of the Buddha. Buddha taught us the same thing.
Habsah Ibrahim: Ironically, the Assumption Church is the church where Matthew Danker, the father-in-law of former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi attended. His funeral was held there recently and attended by Abdullah. Pak Lah must be very sad...
Avery: It is a sad day for our country. Its leadership is helpless to stop the protests, just when it mattered most. Can we change a court decision by simply burning places of worship? Is this an attempt to show that might is right? Can Malaysia still be considered a ‘moderate' Muslim country after what we have seen these past few days?
AbuArif: I am terribly, terribly embarrassed. I almost cried. I am sorry, dear Malaysians. As a Muslim, I am truly ashamed. I pray for peace and calm. Salam sejahtera all. Wakarjun.
