KUALA LUMPUR, April 20 — The Malay-Muslims who demanded yesterday that a church in Petaling Jaya tear down the cross on its facade because it supposedly challenges Islam were not behaving in accordance with the precepts of Islam, several PAS leaders said.
Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad pointed out that Islam demands that its followers respect the rights of non-Muslims to practice their faith without fear but the group, he added, had behaved like Islamic “fascists”.
He said the Taman Medan church should not be forced to operate in a clandestine manner just because it was located in a Malay-majority area.
“Such acts are based on a fascist kind of Islam because Islam as far as I and the world understands does not have a problem with the display of crosses on churches, even if its in Muslim majority area,” he told Malay Mail Online.
Khalid said he believes the move was clearly political, claiming a majority of the protesters were later revealed to be Umno members.
He said the party, which sometimes portray itself as a moderate outfit, should state whether or not it condones the action of its members in this case.
“Umno must state its stand. It cannot play moderate but yet harbor this kind of racist behaviour in its own background,” the Shah Alam MP pointed out.
More from The Malay Mail Online
-The Office of MP for Shah Alam-
Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad pointed out that Islam demands that its followers respect the rights of non-Muslims to practice their faith without fear but the group, he added, had behaved like Islamic “fascists”.
He said the Taman Medan church should not be forced to operate in a clandestine manner just because it was located in a Malay-majority area.
“Such acts are based on a fascist kind of Islam because Islam as far as I and the world understands does not have a problem with the display of crosses on churches, even if its in Muslim majority area,” he told Malay Mail Online.
Khalid said he believes the move was clearly political, claiming a majority of the protesters were later revealed to be Umno members.
He said the party, which sometimes portray itself as a moderate outfit, should state whether or not it condones the action of its members in this case.
“Umno must state its stand. It cannot play moderate but yet harbor this kind of racist behaviour in its own background,” the Shah Alam MP pointed out.
More from The Malay Mail Online
-The Office of MP for Shah Alam-
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