Peninsular religious leaders visit church, mosque, temple By Johan Aziz
KENINGAU: Twenty-five religious leaders and adherents of various religious denominations in the country visited the church, mosque and Chinese temple at Kampung Minawo Laut here on Saturday.
The delegation headed by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and Pensiangan member of parliament Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, and officials from his ministry and the National Unity and Integration Department (JPNIN) visited the St Joseph’s church, the Al-Rahman mosque of Sabah Islamic Studies and Dakwah Institute (IPDAS) and the Guang Ji Temple.
Kurup said this unity program will continue to be implemented from time to time to enlighten the people of the importance of unity for a peaceful and prosperous nation.
Chairman of the Committee for the Promotion of Understanding and Harmony Between Religious Faith (JKMPKA), Dato Azman Amin Hassan, said the goodwill tour, in conjunction with the religious integration program organized by JPNIN Malaysia, was very timely as this will expose religious leaders to the harmonious religious and cultural diversity of the tribal people of Sabah.
“All members of the delegation are impressed by the harmonious spirit of the community here despite their different religions and cultures,” he said.
Azman Amin said the people here, though of different religions, are able to visit each other in their respective places of worship with no issues arising, as some nonMuslim communities helped in work at the mosque while the Islamic community also assisted in providing food and other things to non-Muslims.
“Such harmonious atmosphere exists only in Sabah and is very unique because the people here respect each other’s religion and culture,” he said.
According to him, these visits to a church, mosque and Chinese temple are the first time for some religious leaders of the delegation.
He said Sabah is a shining example to the country because despite its diverse races, cultures and religions, the people can live in unity without reservations and should be emulated by the other states in the country.
Representative of the Malaysian Buddhist Association, Ven Sing Kan, said for them to visit on their own may be difficult because of the high cost involved.
“The opportunity given to us by the government is very meaningful because we can see first hand the harmonious community here, communicate with them and share their experiences,” he said.
Ven hoped that this harmonious interaction will continue to strengthen the multiracial and religious cooperation of the people in this country.
Malaysian Hindu Sangam president Datuk R S Mohan Shan believes that in Sabah there is no racial issue arising and it should be emulated by people from all walks of life in the Peninsular.
He said from the five days of their stay in the state, they had learned a lot of new things that could be shared with other societies in the Peninsular. Mohan also thanked Kurup and JPNIN Malaysia for organizing this program.
Also present were JPNIN Malaysia director-general Baharin Idris and his deputydirector general, Aldrina Mimi OP Andu, and State JPNIN director Delin Liet Blaun.
During the visits, Kurup presented financial assistance amounting to RM2,000 each to the church, mosque and temple management body.