Nazrin Shah, Sultan of Perak, which is one of the 13 states in Peninsular Malaysia, urged people on June 12 to show respect and not violate each other’s religious boundaries. He said Malaysians belong to different races and thus practice different cultures as well as religions; hence, it is their collective responsibility to build harmony in the country.
“Muslims and the institutions responsible for Islamic affairs need to be aware of the sensitivities of the followers of other religions and at the same time, non-Muslims must understand and respect Muslims’ religious sensitivities. They should be sensitive to the feelings of Muslims when they choose to touch on Islam, more so when they openly criticize Islamic rulings and Allah’s command as contained in the Quran and life guidance as given in the Sunnah, which are the sayings and practices of Prophet Muhammad,” said Shah.
Shah was speaking at the 187th Conference of the Perak Islamic Religion and Malay Custom Council (MAIPk), where he has served as president since 1997. However, on May 29, he was appointed as the 35th Sultan of Perak after his father Almarhum Sultan Azlan Shah passed away. He will soon start office and this was his last speech as MAIPk president.
Shah recalled his first speech at the 118th Conference of MAIPk where he had made five crucial points aimed at avoiding controversies that had the potential to tarnish Malaysia’s image. He had asked Muslims to have strong discipline and resilience in coping with the era of globalization and information technology and urged all individuals to tackle with wisdom and intelligence various social evils. Additionally, he had insisted on intensifying religious programs that involved the youth, enlivening mosques with different activities, beautifying them with landscaping and ensuring their cleanliness.
“These points are still relevant and need to be given attention,” Shah said.
He said a new president for MAIPk would soon be appointed as he would move on to monitoring the activities of the council as the Sultan of Perak.
Photo Credit: The Star
