“Respect local customs, laws abroad; public ‘solat’ banned in many non-Muslim countries, China included”

 

ACCORDING to Cambridge dictionary, the proverb “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” means that you should adapt to the customs, traditions and behaviours of the local people when you are visiting or living in an unfamiliar place.

This was precisely the travel advisory shared by Threader Bella (@skin.to.care) who reminded her China-bound brethren to avoid performing prayer a.k.a. solat in open, public spaces given this runs afoul of the country’s law.

Stressing that this is not anti-Islam by intention, the make-up & skincare artist explained that the law prohibits ANY religious activity in public regardless of denomination.

“Just respect the rules of the country which we are visiting as tourists,” she advised.

This travel advisory has generated 14K Likes, 249 comments, 682 re-posts and 358 shares at time of writing, indicating that this was an issue that needed greater awareness, especially among Malaysian Muslims who may not be aware of such restrictions.

The lack of Muslim prayer facilities abroad (compared to Malaysia) was highlighted by a few commenters.

One shared that though there was no surau in the hotel, the staff of Soluxe Hotel Guangzhou thankfully made available the gym and shower facilities to the couple even after they had earlier checked out.

Be discreet if one has to perform solat in countries where Muslims are the minority. This was the advice from a reasonably minded Muslim who asked that fellow travellers respect local mores and traditions as such public displays of worship may cause discomfort among locals.

This commenter would perform solat in fitting rooms or even under stairwell in order to be discreet.

However, one commenter took a defiant tone stating that though there maybe man-made laws to observe, the laws of the Almighty were greater.

To this the poster retorted thus it was imperative that travellers make proper plans to account for this. Another Muslim commenter added that fellow Muslims should not behave in such a manner to bring disrepute to the religion. “Respect local laws” was the message here.

This exact same sentiment was highlighted in another post on Threads.

Reminding China-bound travellers that public displays of worship was a no-no in the communist state, Bebelan Cik Min (@bebelancikmin) pointed out that her tour group was fortunate to have a guide that looked out for them while they fulfilled their religious obligations.

However, this poster’s act of rule-breaking left more than a few commenters unimpressed. Though the tour guide had acted as a look-out and given the green light, the question was “why do so when you know it is against the law?” for this can tarnish Malaysia’s reputation.

Better safe than sorry. A couple of pragmatic travellers advised that it was better to perform solat while seated in the bus or van to avoid being hauled up by the police for breaking the law.

Few things these travel advisories highlight.

Firstly, performing solat in public places in China is strictly prohibited. It is not up for debate. Rightly or wrongly, that is the law of a communist-run state.

Secondly, such a ban on public displays of worship apply to all religions. It is not limited to Muslims performing solat.

Last but not least, there are those who belligerently claim the higher moral ground in wanting to observe their religious obligations. If one feels strongly enough, do make the necessary provisions by planning accordingly without the risk of breaking the law.

Otherwise, as one commenter succinctly suggested – “nobody forced you to go. Just stay in Malaysia”. 

- Focus Malaysia