KJ backs idea for guidelines on visits to houses of worship

 

Khairy Jamaluddin said Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman’s call for visits to houses of worship had ‘flared up the situation’. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin has welcomed former religious minister Zulkifli Al-Bakri’s call for guidelines on visits to houses of worship.

Speaking during an episode of the “Keluar Sekejap” podcast with former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan, Khairy said the idea would foster greater harmony among Malaysians.

“We (Khairy and Shahril) already have exposure (in visiting houses of worship of other faiths). For those who don’t have (the) exposure, the proposed guidelines will be good for them,” said Khairy.

Last week, Zulkifli said to his knowledge, there were no guidelines on visits to houses of worship.

His suggestion came a day after the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) came out against any activities to persuade or influence Muslims to be inclined towards any other religion in Selangor.

This came after accusations of Christian evangelism made against Impact Malaysia, an organisation under the youth and sports ministry which had planned a visit to a church in Klang for non-Christians who wanted to know more about the faith.

The group, which has organised similar visits to mosques and Hindu temples, said the programme was part of an integrated campaign to foster better understanding among the country’s multiracial and multi-religious communities.

Among those who have chimed in on the issue include Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who urged the 100,000 members of his multiracial youth-based party to visit other houses of worship.

In a video posted online last Friday, Syed Saddiq called on Malaysians to be open-minded about visiting houses of worship as it would help educate future generations about the different cultures in Malaysia and ensure a harmonious society.

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While Khairy said Syed Saddiq’s intentions were good, his call for visits to houses of worship had “flared up the situation”.

“In this situation, he was supposed to lower the temperature — not challenge sensitivities,” Khairy added. - FMT