Nie Ching did not deliver 'tazkirah', sacked surau chairman claims

Still in the news as Umno continues to attack

KUALA LUMPUR (Malaysian Insider) - Sacked Surau Al-Huda committee chairman Azemi Ahmad has refuted Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s claim that Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching had delivered a “tazkirah” during her controversial visit last month.

He told The Malaysian Insider that the prime minister had obtained “wrong information” and insisted that Teo’s speech had not touched on religious matters.

“He has received the wrong information obviously. She only spoke about the education loan scheme by the Selangor state government for entry into public universities.

“To deliver a tazkirah, on the other hand, means she would have to touch on religious issues, to talk about Islam. She did not do that,” Azemi said when contacted.

As such, he insisted that neither Teo nor the sacked mosque committee had committed any wrong in the matter.

When commenting on the issue yesterday, Najib insisted that Teo (picture) had violated the fatwa issued by the National Fatwa Council in March this year.

The council had decided that non-Muslim tourists could enter mosques and prayer rooms on condition that they received permission from the respective managements and that their actions did not violate the sanctity of the mosque.

Najib had also claimed that Teo had committed another offence by delivering a tazkirah (sermon) during her visit.

“Only Muslims are allowed to deliver tazkirah in mosques or surau. If a non-Muslim enters a mosque and start giving a tazkirah to the Muslims, that is against the teachings of the Prophet,” he had said.

Azemi also claimed that Teo had not violated the fatwa or decree despite her failure to cover her hair when she entered the surau’s main prayer hall.

“It is just manners to wear the tudung. She is a non-Muslim so it is not exactly a must for her to wear it... it is by choice and just manners and yes, it is encouraged.

“But like I said, as a non-Muslim, it is not a must. It is an obligation and a must for Muslims to wear it,” he said.

Former Perlis Mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin also disagreed with Najib that Teo had violated the fatwa, pointing out that the decree specifically states that non-Muslims could enter mosques.

“I will not focus on the tazkirah because I was not present when Teo delivered her speech. But of course, like I have mentioned before, the surau should not be used for political purposes.

“But my focus now is on whether a non-Muslim can enter the mosque and the answer to that is – Yes,” he said.

On the issue of Teo’s failure to cover her hair with a scarf or tudung, Dr Asri pointed out that many Umno members had done the same themselves.

“It is not exactly wrong in Teo’s case because she is not a Muslim. It is just that those who enter the mosque should respect it by covering themselves.

“Just like if I were to go to the Prime Minister’s office or the Mentri Besar’s office, I would have to dress respectfully, in order to keep with the culture of the place. It is just common understanding,” he said.

However, Dr Asri insisted that it was not Teo’s fault for not wearing the headscarf.

“It is the fault of the mosque committee, not hers. They should have informed her, and she should not be expected to know because she is not a Muslim. As Muslims and caretakers of the mosque, the committee should be the one to inform her,” he said.

He urged the National Fatwa Council to hold a briefing with all surau and mosque committees to determine the proper procedure of things so that similar misunderstandings would not recur.

“Who knows, they might one day change the fatwa again because they see different practices outside the country. They would see (US president) Barack Obama entering a mosque somewhere and then they would change the fatwa.

“We need more uniformity and we need to advise the mosque committees on what they should do,” he said.

Perak Mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria however agreed with Najib that Teo had violated the council’s fatwa, pointing out that such decrees were applicable to all, including non-Muslims.

“It is a law and all are bound by it. In this case, she went against it because she did not cover her hair when she walked in and she also delivered a speech inside the prayer hall.

“Non-Muslims can enter the mosque, under the religion, but they must respect the rules and sanctity of the place. This means that they must tutup aurat,” he said.

Teo’s visit last month had sparked off much religious tension in the nation as Muslim leaders from both sides of the political divide scrambled to issue differing views on the matter.

Malay rights group Perkasa demanded for syariah laws to be created to ban non-Muslims from entering mosques and suraus while Pakatan Rakyat leaders chose instead to back Teo in her move.

Teo has since written to the Selangor Sultan to explain her visit after the Selangor religious department (Mais) claimed that she had displeased the ruler.

Mais had also claimed to have sent a warning letter to Teo. It has also taken over the management of the surau and a new committee has replaced the one chaired by Azemi.