YOURSAY 'He has been too awfully quiet even when we can see the economy and racial harmony spiralling downwards at breakneck speed.'
Islamic scholars: Deal sensibly with surau issue
Wg321: Can the prime minister of 1Malaysia, Najib Abdul Razak, say something? People used to ridicule former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, or Pak Lah, as the sleeping prime minister without understanding his medical condition .
I hope Najib will not allow his people to ridicule him as a deaf and dumb PM later on. As captain of the ‘submarine' called 1Malaysia, Najib must show leadership. Keeping silent is not an option.
Anonymous #49857050: I am seriously alarmed at the direction this country is heading to. In the 60s, we were all expounding on the word 'muhibah' to encourage the various races to mixed with one another.
Nowadays, we, non-Muslims, have to tread carefully about making any statement about Islam, lest we be charged for sedition.
Whereas, the two Muslim reporters who went undercover into a Catholic church and demean the Eucharist wafer that the Catholics hold sacred, got away even without a slap on the wrist.
Yes, we agree that Islam is the official religion in Malaysia but that does not give any Muslim the right to demean what is sacred to other religions, as in the case of the cow's head demonstration as well.
And to top it off, we have a PM who is supposed to be the PM for all Malaysians, shoving his 1Malaysia down the rakyat's throat, but who doesn't show he is indeed the PM of Malaysia.
He has been too awfully quiet even when we can see the economy and racial harmony spiralling downwards at breakneck speed.
Toonarmy: There is no need to criticise Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism or any other religions here, please. Let's maintain a sense of perspective.
It's Umno that is the root of all evils. It's Umno that are the real religious deviants. It's Umno that are playing dangerous race and religion games with the population.
Swipenter: There was never an intent to insult Islam and Muslims in Malaysia. Even the top Buddhist monk has apologised to the Muslims for the actions of those Buddhists in using the surau.
Please do not ignore the very important fact that permission was asked and granted for them to use it for their meditation retreat without both parties realising, and out of ignorance, that this could lead to such an outpouring of anger and unhappiness.
To all Muslims out there, please be informed that Buddhists are not idol worshippers. And that group did not demand to use the surau, but asked for a place to do their prayers and was given the surau by the resort manager in good faith.
Cala: If a regime does not believe in justice, freedom and equality, then this incident is a God-sent to sow fear among the minorities.
When the emphasis is on intolerance, disharmony and differences, the regime is building a nation of many ethnic groups, not a nation-state.
Allis: Malaysia will become another failed and bankrupt Islamic state like Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and Afganistan, once Petronas run out money in exactly 15 years.
As of today, Petronas contributes about 40 percent of the government's income. Do you know Singapore have no oil and yet its GDP is about the same as Malaysia?
Who does the best Petronas brain works for now. Yes, unfortunately Singapore. Hassan Marican, you made the right move to go to Singapore.
Do you know Malaysia's best brains are emigrating daily? It is mind boggling to see the figure. Soon Malaysia will be left with only biologically inferior humans.
Labis Guy: If everyone can think like these Islamic scholars who spoke of tolerance, Malaysia would be a far better place to live in. Be rational when it comes to religious issues and have respect for all should be the key message.
Chiss: Many Muslims say Islamic scholars are peace loving and accommodative to Christians, Hindus and Buddhists, but I have yet to see one scholar who has demonstrated this.
If everyone uses some common sense, there can be real peace and understanding - no need to be a scholar to do so.
Lvbala: If we humans can think like a human, then all religious conflict can be avoided. In fact, we can create a unique state in this country for all Malaysians.
I believe there are still many out there who love unity and will compromise with one another.
Isana: Days of conflict, that's what Malaysians are in now. Voices of reasons are being set aside as political upmanship takes over. Sunni or Shia, or Umno brand of Islam now?
Johor authorities overreacted in surau row
The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now .