Chinese association wants to build mosque

Chinese association wants to build mosque
29 Jan 2007
Jason Gerald John


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MALACCA: The call for the country to have mosques run by Chinese Muslims for the
community has given new hope to a Chinese Muslim association here.

The Malacca Tionghua Muslim Association had proposed such a mosque three years
ago but the state government was not interested.

However, Perlis mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin?s proposal to state
governments, particularly religious departments, to allow Chinese Muslims to
build mosques and surau for their community has renewed hope for the
association.

"I will submit a fresh proposal to the Malacca state government to cater for
the needs of more than 3,000 Chinese Muslims here.

"All we need is the approval for a piece of land and we will be very happy. Our
community will bear the cost of constructing the mosque," said the association
president Rizal Abdullah.

Yesterday, Dr Mohd Asri told the New Straits Times that it was unfair for state
governments to deny the right of the Chinese Muslims based on the misunderstood
conception that Islam could only mean Malay language, customs and traditions.

Rizal, a businessman, said the Indian Muslim community could also submit a
similar proposal to have a mosque to be built according to Indian architecture
and with the sermons being delivered in vernacular language.

"Having a Chinese mosque does not mean Muslims will be divided but in fact it
will bring us together.

"Furthermore, such mosques could help in promoting the teachings of Islam,
especially among the Chinese community," he said.



Rizal also explained that the current perception among the Chinese was that
conversion to Islam meant they had to discard their traditions and heritage to
become Malays.

"This view is derived from the fact that the Chinese community does not have a
place to preach in their own language. We can?t blame them for having this
perception," he added.

Agreeing with Dr Mohd Asri, Rizal said Chinese, Indians and other non-Malays who
had accepted Islam should be treated equally as Muslims and must have the full
rights.

Rizal believed that Malacca should lead the way in having the first Chinese
mosque.

"History has revealed that Malacca is the place where it all began from the
first Malay sultanate to the place where Islam first took its roots and the
first arrival of Indian and Chinese Muslims," he said.

He added that a Chinese mosque would also attract tourists who could see the
universality of Islam.

He also hoped to have the Great Mosque in Xian ? one of the oldest, largest and
best preserved mosques in China ? as the model for a Chinese mosque here.
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