SHAH ALAM, 1 Dec: It has been suggested for the state government to build a mosque with Chinese ethnic cultural characteristics to meet the needs of Chinese Muslims.

Mohd Shafie Ngah (PAS-Bangi) said that the number of Chinese Muslims in Selangor is not little, but Malacca, Johor and Perak lead in the provision of such a facility.

“The mosque which has characteristics of Chinese architecture will then be managed by Siak, Bilal and Imams who are also Chinese Muslims.

“It is important to break the stigma or understanding that Islam belongs to Malays and Malays belong to Islam,” he said during the Selangor State Assembly session today.

Shafie said that if the Chinese mosque is successfully built, then more tourists from home and abroad will be interested in visiting Selangor.

“A large state mosque is not enough, we need to move forward to build a mosque of such a characteristic (Chinese).

“The Chinese community is a race that needs to be respected,” he added.

So far, the ideal location to build the mosque is at Pulau Ketam.

Commenting on the proposal, the Executive Councillor for Religious Affairs, Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi, said that the state government has not refused to build a mosque with such characteristics to meet the needs of the Chinese Muslim community.

However, he said that some aspects need to be studied to enable the state government to provide provisions to build a mosque.

“Perhaps there is a need by the Chinese Muslim community, but this construction has the aim as a community transformation centre.

“We are not refusing to build the mosque to become a centre for visits and we will take this suggestion with what we can think of,” he said.

NS