Johor ruler: No reason why Muslims cannot visit other houses of worship

Malaysiakini : There was no reason to bar Muslims in Johor from visiting houses of worship of other faiths or participating in their festivals as long as they do not take part in non-Islamic rituals or prayers, said Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.

"This is very clear and I have complete trust in Muslims because their faith is strong and unshakable. I do not wish to dwell at length here. "There is no need for any kind of polemic over this," said Sultan Ibrahim (above) in an interview with The Star. He said guidelines issued by the palace and the Johor Islamic Religious Council (MAIJ) were clear on the matter. 

In February, MAIJ issued a fatwa prohibiting Muslims from attending and participating in religious rituals of other faiths in the state. Muslims in Johor were allowed to attend events held by those of other faiths as long as there were no religious rituals. Selangor, however, has a different set of rules whereby Muslims are not allowed to enter houses of worship of other faiths.

This law in Selangor came under the spotlight after a federal government agency ran a programme called "Jom Ziarah" to expose youths to common values shared by other faiths. The programme included a visit to a church in Klang, Selangor which was eventually cancelled.  

Sultan Ibrahim said interfaith values were strong in Johor and he also encouraged non-Muslims to visit mosques to understand Islam better. "I encourage Muslims to invite non-Muslims to break fast together during the holy month of Ramadan. "Explain to them the meaning of abstinence and the concept behind this practice, so non-Muslims understand and value Islam better," he added.

Vijay47 : In case you don’t realise or feel the acute pain of it, Anwar Ibrahim, that was a right royal kick in your pants from His Majesty the Sultan of Johor. He has spoken out clearly and firmly against the continued efforts of bankrupt politicians and misguided religious leaders to take the country deeper along a recently constructed national highway to hell.

To present the truth from another perspective, it took a regal personage, a sultan, to voice his opposition to dangerous trends while you, Anwar Ibrahim, the person expected to protect the nation from incendiary destructive demands, the prime minister, has chosen to remain deaf and silent.

How ironic, how reflective of poetic justice, that while His Majesty felt compelled to condemn the growing intrusions into our now-delicate harmony, you are strutting about in the Middle East urging your flock of the global need to tackle, yes, Islamophobia. Again I wonder, do I laugh or do I cry?

Hmmmmmmmm : I believe all these religious people banning the people from doing this or that, etc can be resolved with a very strong word from the rulers, like the Sultan of Johor in this case and the Sultan of Selangor in the Bon Odori case.

I think the rulers should get together and issue a joint statement to say that all matters concerning Islam is to go through them first before statements are made to the public. This will stop politicians from coming up with their own set of rules and cause confusion to other people.

Krabian : Tuanku should order all those PAS clowns, state Mufti and religious bigots to the Palace and open up their mentality and mindset. They are making Islam looks bad.

apanama is back : "Do not tell me that politics is part of Islam and politicians can talk freely," he said, adding that rulers have a responsibility to protect the sanctity of the mosques as the head of Islam.

I do hope the Terengganu Sultan will issue a similar statement so that Hadi will be prohibited from talking politics in the mosques and surau. The above statement is being directed to Abdul Hadi Awang.

Read it all here.....