By Ravinder Singh
Padang Serai Division Chief Shaharuddin Ibrahim of PAS delivered a sermon at a mosque two weeks ago, where he allegedly said the DAP would ban the azan (call to prayer) if they ever came to power.
After listening to his sermon on YouTube, I must say it was all political in content as he accused the Penang state government of being anti-Islam while he himself campaigned hard for the hudud Bill.
He also lied through his teeth that the azan had been banned in the state. I live in an area with a large Malay community and there are three surau and a mosque within walking distance. I hear the azan every single day.
His words were “Kalau DAP menguasai negara … nuu Pulau Pinang tuan-tuan, bang (azan) dah tak boleh dah, bang (azan) tak boleh dah, tuan tuan!” (“If DAP controls the country, let alone Penang, gentlemen, the sounding of the call for prayer will not be possible.”)
Now does Islam sanction the telling of lies, let alone telling blatant lies during the holy month of Ramadan? This is how bigots give Islam a bad name and yet no Islamic authority is disciplining them. What’s even worse, is that the “sermon” is believed to have been delivered in a mosque.
When will politics and religion be separated so that places of worship are strictly for worship? During the 50s and 60s, such things were unheard of. In those days, I never heard “sermons” of the kind heard today. Prayers used to be a solemn affair and sermons were not delivered in battle-cry tones.
Is peaceful co-existence no longer feasible or desirable in this multi-racial, multi-cultural nation?
Why are our leaders keeping their heads buried in the sand about all this bigotry that is so openly taking place and damaging the unity of the races and cultures?
What happened to the actual teaching of the Koran? It surely looks like political considerations take precedence over the actual teachings of the Koran.
Ravinder Singh is an FMT reader.
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