Tourists dancing at mosque to face action – ministry
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment strongly condemns the outrageous and disrespectful behavior of two foreign tourists at the City Mosque which went viral on social media recently.
Its assistant minister, Assafal Alian, giving a statement on behalf of the minister who is currently in Kuala Lumpur, said the actions of the foreign tourists on the vicinity of a religious structure shows the lack of respect to our Muslim worshippers as well as our hospitality extended to them.
He emphasized that Sabah is a multi-racial and multireligious nation, religious harmony is our fundamental stand. The ministry will not treat this matter lightly if we were to further develop the industry.
“Although incidents with tourists like these happens everywhere in the world we will not stand by and do nothing. We appreciate the concern by netizens and their alertness on matters like this. We can all work together to ensure that our visitors to the State enjoy their holiday and at the same time respect our culture, beliefs and our people.
“Once we identify the nationalities, strong action will be taken against them and the operator of the group who failed to brief and deter the foreigners on displaying correct mannerism when visiting a holy site.”
In wake of the incident, the Council of the City Mosque has put up a temporary ban on foreign visitors to the mosque.
Close to a thousand foreign tourists visit the City Mosque everyday which is one of the mustvisit places in Kota Kinabalu. The council prepares a Muslim garb for those who wishes to see interior of the building.
“The ministry will continue to have regular engagements with tour operators and tourism stakeholders, including owners of tourist attractions in Sabah and in particular sensitive areas like religious buildings and sacred venues.
“We also plan to introduce a carrying capacity on tourism attractions, including places of worship to better manage and allow a smooth flow between worshippers and visitors going the area,” Alian said.