YOURSAY ‘The resort owner should have been advised not to repeat the incident. In his eagerness to please his customers, he was unaware of the repercussions.'

Islamic scholars: Deal sensibly with surau issue

Anonymous_3e86: Different religious scholars have different views on this surau issue. Some say "can", some say "cannot". But the whole point is that the resort owner offered the surau to the Buddhists with good intentions.

Perhaps the worshippers were ignorant of the religious sensitivities. But there were no ill-intent from both parties. There were no intention to demean or insult any religion.

Rahman: I think the Johor authorities have overreacted over the incident. The resort owner should have been advised not to repeat the incident. In his eagerness to please his customers, he was unaware of the repercussions.

He is a Singaporean, where in Singapore shared places of worship in public places are common. Remanding him for four days is unnecessary.

Everybody in Johor, from the mufti, religious adviser and local authorities, seem swarming on the resort to pile more faults on the poor chap. The suggestion to tear down the surau is most absurd.

Someone made a mistake, reprimand him if you need but don't overreact. They must have nothing better to do in Johor to be so excited over this incident. Such overreaction does not show that they care for Islam more.

Cantabrigian: It is calming to see moderate Muslim voices trying to approach the matter in a more amicable manner instead of brandishing newly-sharpened scimitars for the blood of 'infidels' and 'non-believers'.

I am very sure most Malaysians are peace-loving people and do not have the intention to intrude into one another's private affairs, especially religious and spiritual beliefs.

Life is too short to continue fighting, let bygones be bygones, apologies extended and accepted, and may the master of universe bless us all.

Sali Tambap: It is hard not to fear Islam, as exemplified by the likes of former Selangor PAS commissioner Hasan Ali and Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali.

My only consolation is that I have known many Muslims who embrace the friendship of non-Muslims and are respectful of their religions even if they do not agree with them.

But sadly they are not in the corridor of power, and those that do are actually doing a disservice to Islam. At least, that is how non-Muslims perceive it with regards to sincere Muslims who want to project Islam as a religion of peace and goodwill.

CiViC: No amount of explanation or reconciliation will ever clear Malaysia's version of Islam from being extreme.

I've studied Sejarah Islam in my school days, and I totally respect and admire its history and teachings, but what is happening in Malaysia is just way too extreme.

The fact that it has gone to this, is partly if not mostly, the federal government's doing. It has sanctioned, instigated and encouraged all these extreme acts.

Anonymous_4056: So now arose a situation where the kafir has indeed transgressed and seemingly shown disrespect to Islam. In short, people do make mistakes out of so many reasons.

I am sure Muslims too, like many others, make mistakes, such as stomping on a cow's head, which is a deep insult to Hindus. When a mistake is made, we must seek to forgive and adopt positive behaviour to prevent such recurrence.

That is strength and civility. It is not an occasion or an opportunity for anyone to throw stones or behead the transgressors.

We must at all times seek to forgive and reconciled as we are living in a multi-religious state where incidences offending the feeling of others are there, and it is especially glaring when one is extra-sensitive.

Aren't we taught by our religion to seek to live in peace with one another. Please do unto others what you want others to do unto you. Be at peace with one another and the world.

Abasir: Each time Muslims misbehave or otherwise act in a manner outrageous to civilised people, we are told that it is a minority, a fringe group of lunatics, a deviant sect and that Islam is a religion of love, a religion of peace, a religion for all.

We are told that the majority of Muslims are reasonable, devout, God fearing and universal in their thinking.

Well, if that is indeed the case, this 'mythical' majority should be speaking up and protesting the twisted deviants. What is now becoming more and more evident is that the so-called deviants represent the religion more accurately than what the PR spiel tells the world.

Gyros Not Kairos: Since, Abasir, you appear not convinced that the majority of Muslims are not violent, I would like to know which war-torn Malaysian village do you spring from? How many of your Malay Muslim acquaintances are violent?

SS Dhaliwal: I was recently in Medan and there is an old mosque that was more than a 100 years old and it was a tourist attraction. I was allowed to enter the main hall after removing my shoes, followed the signage, and there were people praying inside.

Besides me, there were also some Dutch tourists as well. Maybe we should follow the example of the Indonesians who practice acceptance rather than intolerance.

Can the 1Malaysia PM please stand up?

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