Pahang forbids non-Muslim materials in hotel rooms
Published on: Thursday, April 24, 2014
KUANTAN: The Pahang Islamic and Malay Customs Council (MAIP) has prohibited hotel proprietors in the state from placing religious reading materials of other religions other than Islam in their rooms.According to MAIP deputy president, Datuk Seri Wan Abdul Wahid Wan Hassan, a letter of prohibition on the matter had been sent to 147 hotels across the state since March 6 and those who defied the directive could be subjected to legal action. "The letter of prohibition was issued under the Control and Restriction of the Propagation of Non-Islamic Religions Among Muslims Enactment 1989, in line with Article 11 (4) of the Federal Constitution.
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"With that, a non-Muslim or the hotel management is prohibited from placing the Bible or any material or document relating to a non-Islamic religion in public reading rooms, especially in the hotel rooms. If such materials have been placed there, these must be removed immediately."He told reporters this after attending the meeting on technical preparations for the 'Karnival Muamalat dan Cinta Rasul' to be held here from May 1 to 4. He said the act of placing the materials in the hotel rooms could be regarded as an act of spreading other religious beliefs to Muslims.He said if convicted, those involved could be taken to court and face a fine of up to RM5,000 or imprisonment not exceeding two years, or both.
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Meanwhile, the government is looking at laws to regulate non-Muslims' places of worship in the Federal Territories.Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor held a meeting with several MPs from both Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat at the Parliament to discuss the proposal further.
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Speaking to FMT, MCA MP Khoo Soo Sean said that the proposal brought forward by Tengku Adnan was to help non-Muslims to preserve their places of worship."Tengku Adnan is quite forward thinking. It is not only to sort out problems involving places of worship squatting on government land but also those established in shophouses," he said.Khoo said that according to local government by-laws, people are not allowed to convert shoplots into places of worship and, thus, the minister was trying to find an amicable solution to the issue."Among the ideas proposed in the meeting is to legalise places of worship established in shoplots if there are no objections from the residents at the area," said the MCA leader.He added that the meeting was also attended by representatives from various religions.However, Khoo clarified that the proposal was still at a preliminary stage and nothing has been decided."We are still in the midst of getting feedback from people on this. I respect Tengku Adnan's intention but it is not going to be easy," he said.PKR MP G Manivannan, who was present at the meeting, welcomed Tengku Adnan's proposal but cautioned that no political agenda must be involved..Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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