Naim condemns foreign tourist who read Quranic verses at Batu Caves Hindu temple

Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Naim Mokhtar condemned the action of a foreign tourist who recited Quranic verses mockingly at the Batu Caves Hindu temple.

“The actions of this individual, who recited verses from the Quran (Surah Al-Anbiya’ verses 66 & 67) at a non-Muslim place of worship, were completely unacceptable.

“He clearly does not comprehend the situation and reality of religious harmony in Malaysia,” Na’im said, Malaysiakini reported.

“These kinds of insensitive acts have the potential to provoke outrage and trigger an unharmonious atmosphere, especially towards followers of other religions,” he cautioned.

The tourist who uses a TikTok account @abdeentube read out verses as the following:

“He said, ‘Then do you worship instead of Allah that which does not benefit you at all or harm you? Uff to you and to what you worship instead of Allah. Then will you not use reason?’”

Naim strictly said that Islam prohibits Muslims from insulting other religions.

He cited Surah Al-An’am verse 108: “And do not insult those they invoke other than Allah, lest they insult Allah in enmity without knowledge. Thus, We have made pleasing to every community their deeds. Then to their Lord is their return, and He will inform them about what they used to do.”

He also cited another verse: “For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.”

“I advise everyone to remain calm. If there are provocations that could disrupt harmony and threaten the unity of our multi-religious society, they should be referred to the authorities for appropriate action based on the law,” he said.

A police report was lodged against the tourist last night.

In a related development, Bangi MP Syahredzan Johan warned foreigners against disrupting the peace and harmony of Malaysia.

“Outsiders cannot take action that disrupts the racial harmony in our beloved country. I urge the immigration to blacklist this tourist from entering Malaysia,” the DAP lawmaker said on X.