‘Form advisory board for non – Muslim religious affairs’

Sentosa assemblyman Gunaraj George has called upon the government to form an advisory board for non – Muslim religious affairs to manage issues involving non-Muslim houses of worship and sensitivities.

He said this would allow for a more structured, systematic and inclusive approach to the issues as well as complement existing state-level mechanisms such as the special committees for Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism.

The board can coordinate the registration non-Muslim places of worship while mediating land and zoning disputes.

It could provide guidelines and advisories to religious organisations, and help formulate inclusive policies that ensured justice for all religious communities.

“Ideally, a national-level advisory board working closely with Limas would not only strengthen enforcement efforts on matters concerning places of worship, but also help resolve long-standing issues faced by non-Islamic communities.

“This includes the use of terms that are misleading and offensive,” the Selangor PKR vice-chairman said in a statement.

He also pointed the term “illegal temple” used to describe some Hindu temples as legally and culturally inaccurate.

Numerous non-Muslim houses of worship were legally registered and possessed the necessary papers, while the label only created negative perceptions against the faith but a majority were not aware.

“When terms like ‘illegal temple’ are used purely based on the physical structure without considering historical context or actual legal status, they create unfair and negative perceptions towards the religion.”

The relocation of the 130-year-old Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman temple off Jalan Masjid India in Kuala Lumpur stirred controversy last month.

Issue directive against using the term “illegal temple”

MIC deputy president Datuk M Saravanan who is also Tapah MP urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to issue a directive to government agencies against using the term “illegal temple”

Communication Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil however confirmed that the matter was not discussed.

The Tapah MP had pointed out that many Hindu temples existed long before National Land Code became law.

He pointed out the term “illegal” was offensive to Hindus.

Gunaraj is not the first leader who called for the formation of a board.

Several NGOs have also jointly called either for a board like Penang Hindu Endowment Board or a state level committee in respective states to look into the matter.