Zaid hopes for better Friday sermons in Penang come 2016

Former minister Zaid Ibrahim says while economic progress is evident in DAP-led Penang, the mental development of its people leaves much to be desired.

PETALING JAYA: Commenting that economic development was evident in Penang since the DAP took over the reins of government in 2008, Zaid Ibrahim lamented however that the mental development of the people there left much to be desired.

Noting how Penang drivers had poor road etiquette and shop assistants were clueless on how to engage with customers better, he said what struck him as most shocking however was the lack of “intellectual progress amongst Muslims” judging from the quality of sermons dished out to them every Friday at their mosques.

“Intellectual progress amongst Muslims has also not improved by much. The quality of the khutbah or Friday prayer sermon offered by the Majlis Agama Negeri is one indication of this,” Zaid wrote in his latest blog entry.

He was speaking about the sermon he heard at Masjid Jamek Batu Ferringgi recently, in which the congregation was reminded to refrain from celebrating the New Year.

“The congregation was reminded not to be ‘too happy’ or go dancing or mixing with the opposite sex. They were told not to consume alcohol or commit adultery, like kafirs (infidels) or Jews,” Zaid noted.

Registering his shock at the contents of this sermon, he said the DAP-led state government under Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and their Islamic advisers should cultivate a “new approach” to teaching Islam and focus more on issues such as ethnic harmony, interfaith understanding, community support for neighbourhood security and caring for the poor.

“But if the quality of sermons in Penang is no better than in Kelantan or Selangor, than I am afraid Mr Lim Guan Eng has not been that successful after all.”

He also said Muslims could learn to co-exist better with those of other faiths by lowering the volume of their amplifier for the azan and the tazkirah, “so that others who do not wake up to pray can have an extra hour or two of sleep.”

He suggested Lim send groups of Friday sermon writers to Jakarta, Jordan, London and Istanbul so they could get a feel of what good sermons were like so they could bring the lessons learnt back home and write more positive, inspiring sermons for Muslims here.

“Sermons must be useful and relevant to the community. For far too long now, we have been dishing out mundane and repetitive reminders about sin, punishment and why we need to fear Allah.

“Maybe we should also learn to love Allah and all His creations. DAP and Amanah must do better to nurture fresh Islamic thinking for the new year.”