Asri urges Muslims to respect non-worshippers’ right over roads

The Perlis mufti says vehicles should be parked in a disciplined manner outside mosques to allow commuters to ply without inconvenience.

PETALING JAYA: Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin has called on Muslims to respect the rights of others to use roads around mosques as everyone should be able to move in public spaces in accordance with the law.

“We should be aware that giving way on a road is among the teachings of Islam,” he said today.

“The roads are not just for us to use, as others also have a right to use them by following the proper rules,” he added in a posting on his Facebook account under Dr MAZA today.

He said they include those who need to reach somewhere urgently due to an emergency and non-Muslims who are heading in a certain direction. They could also be Muslims who are not involved in prayers at a mosque, such as women and travellers, he added.

“I urge Muslims in Perlis to allow right of way, especially during prayer time,” he said, adding that this should also apply during Friday prayers and special celebratory days.

“It should be the same during sermons where many people are gathered, including my sermon at Masjid Alwi in Kangar,” he said.

Asri said vehicles should be parked in a disciplined manner to allow other road commuters to ply without being inconvenienced.

“Being blocked along a road can sometimes be very distressing,” he said, citing instances of people needing to reach somewhere due to illness or to catch a plane.

He added that his message is not connected to a case in Johor that occurred yesterday.

In the incident at 1.30pm during a Friday prayer outside a surau in Austin Perdana, two passengers in a car were confronted by a group of worshippers who assaulted one of them while others in the group vandalised the vehicle.

Johor CID chief Senior Assistant Commissioner Kamarulzaman Mamat said it was caused by a misunderstanding due to congestion and obstruction of traffic around the vicinity which made it difficult for the car driver to pass through.

A video of the incident showed a man in a white Toyota Camry honking continuously because his vehicle was blocked by other cars parked outside the mosque.

A group of people later confronted him, while striking at and kicking his vehicle as another was seen hitting him repeatedly with a red traffic cone as others called for calm.

Four men were later arrested and are being investigated for rioting under Section 147 of the Penal Code. -FMT