Sabah govt mulls reopening mosque to tourists
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government is considering whether to reopen the city mosque here to tourists, following an incident in which two Chinese women danced provocatively in front of the mosque.
The tourists — Wan Han, 37, and Zhang Na, 25, — were each sentenced to a RM25 fine by the magistrate’s court here on Wednesday and flew back to China last night.
Following the June 23 incident, the mosque’s management closed the area to foreign tourists.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Christina Liew said she believed the mosque’s closure was temporary.
“I hope this is an eye-opener to tourists to observe proper conduct in Sabah.
“I will speak to my permanent secretary and staff to follow up on the next course of action, besides talking with authorities and the mosque’s management.”
She added that it was the duty of tour operators and guides to remind their guests on the dos and don’ts while visiting tourist sites.
Liew, who is deputy chief minister, was speaking after flaggingoff cyclists in the United States Independence Day ceremony at the City Hall building here.
Present were US Ambassador to Malaysia Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir, Kota Kinabalu member of parliament Chan Foong Hin and Mayor Datuk Yeo Boon Hai.
The programme — which included a bike race, a tree-planting exercise and a street clean-up session — attracted 130 participants.