Hands off mosque democratisation plan, UMNO told

PENANG - PAS has reiterated its support for the Penang Islamic Affairs Council's plan to hold elections for mosque committees across the state, and warned UMNO against spreading "lies and slander" to undermine the democratisation drive.

Penang PAS's Committee for Mosque Elections Initiative said recent provocative statements by UMNO accusing the ruling DAP of interfering in the administration of mosques in the state were not only divisive but also patronising to Muslims.

"The accusation that DAP was interfering is an insult to Muslims and it shows that UMNO is looking down on the ability of the Muslim community in Penang," said the committee's chairman and Parit Buntar member of parliament Mujahid Yusof Rawa in a statement to Harakahdaily.

In the interest of Penang Muslim unity, PAS urges UMNO not to interfere in the affairs of the mosque congregation (qariah) by spreading lies and slander which only fuels anxiety community and create frictions in the state's Muslim community," he added.

He was responding a spate of condemnatory statements from UMNO and its sister organisation Perkasa over MAIPP's plan to democratise the appointments of mosque committees so that they could truly represent the mosque's congregation and ensure better management of mosques in the state.

Yesterday, minister in the Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Baharom lent his support to Perkasa and UMNO's opposition to the plan, and said that MAIPP must get the consent from the Agung, who acts as Head of Islamic Religion in Penang, before such a system could be implemented.

Jamil joins the call by Perkasa to reject the plan because it would only contribute to "Muslim disunity" in the state.

However, Mujahid said the plan would stimulate mosque activities and bring about greater transparency in the management of a mosque.

Saying the move was in line with Section 104 (1)(b) of the state's Religious Adminisration Enactment, Mujahid pointed out that many mosques had failed to hold annual meetings or provide proper audit of accounts. He said such mosque committees were arbitrarily appointed through political connections, without consulting the mosques' permanent congregation.

Earlier, Pahang PAS commissioner Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man welcomed the move to hold mosque committee elections, and said UMNO's outrage was due to its fear of losing its control on mosques.

“UMNO's greatest fear is that the committee members appointed by them will no longer be elected, because some of them are not members of the mosque's congregation, not even mosque goers,” he said.

- Harakahdaily