A 217-year-old mosque in Penang opens doors to boost interfaith understanding

In an effort to promote interfaith harmony between the different communities, the historic 217-year-old Masjid Kapitan Keling, Penang, is opening its doors to all, especially non-Muslims.

In conjunction with the George Town Unesco World Heritage Day, visitors are invited to join open tours at the mosque on July 6 and 7 (tomorrow and Sunday), from 9.30am to 6pm.

Organised by the Biro Dakwah Masjid Kapitan Keling and Islamic Propagation Society International, the tour includes distribution of pamphlets regarding Islam.

For interested visitors, the tour will also provide a free copy of the Quran in English and Mandarin.

Visitors can ask questions and obtain answers about Islam and anything that concerns the Muslim world.

The activity is under the patronage of Meera Mydin, chairperson of the Masjid Kapitan Keling.

Organiser Kamarudin Abdullah (photo) said the tour focuses on non-Muslim locals and foreign tourists as the activity is designed to "build a bridge" between Muslims and other communities.

"Islam is a very misunderstood religion, and Muslims are a misunderstood community.

"We hope that coming to the mosque, where there is a beautiful and spiritual atmosphere, non-Muslims can learn about our ancient architecture and get to know the position of Islam in a multicultural society, " Kamarudin told Malaysiakini in an interview.

"It is a kind of bridge building between the communities, we agree to disagree. We are not here to convert them but just to explain about who we are," added Kamarudin, who is also chief of the Biro Dakwah Masjid Kapitan Keling.

Asked what kind of view non-Muslims should have about the mosque, Kamarudin said: "It is a very friendly and welcoming place".

"For example, the Masjid Tarik Air on Jalan Burma, which is under my care, is a very friendly and welcoming place, we invite all to visit," said the Penang Syura Council member.

Since the open mosque tour begun in 1992, Masjid Kapitan Keling has attracted about 50 visitors daily, and a 3,000 crowd during the Heritage tours. Every year, about 10,000 people, a majority of them Chinese, visit the mosque for face-to-face engagement with the Biro.

From time to time, miscommunication and misunderstanding between communities have threatened the social fabric in this multiracial and multireligious country, which has mostly remained peaceful since its independence in 1957.

Thanks to several well-meaning groups, events like the interfaith breaking of fast and Aidilfitri open houses have been organised to promote love and peace.

Asked if he would encourage Muslims to visit other places of worship, Kamarudin said: "Yes, we encourage in terms of interfaith relationship and understanding among different communities".

"But we must understand that not everyone is open to such visits yet, not all Muslim might want to do so.

"However, for a start, we would like to see our learned Muslims do it so we can have more dialogue with others, " he added. - Mkini