Put up etiquette signboards, mosques urged
KOTA KINABALU: Mosque officials in Sabah should put up signboards and advise foreign tourists to observe proper etiquette when they visit religious places in the state, says Sabah Laws and Native Affairs Minister Aidi Mokhtar.
“We don’t want to make this into an issue. But it must be made clear that rules needed to be followed.
“The ministry may seek heavier penalties to those who make a nui- sance or are disrespectful when visiting religious sites in Sabah,” he said yesterday.
Aidi was commenting on a picture on social media showing a woman in hot pants performing acrobatic moves in front of the Universiti Malaysia Sabah mosque.
The woman’s nationality is unknown, but she is believed to be a foreign tourist.
People have also taken to social media to call the act “stupid” and “disrespectful”.
Earlier, two tourists were fined RM25 for dancing disrespectfully in front of the city mosque last month.
In that case, Wan Han, 37, and Zhang Na, 25, from China, were fined by a magistrate’s court after they pleaded guilty to disorderly behaviour in a public place. They were charged according to Section 15 of Sabah Minor Offences Ordinance for disorderly behaviour in public.
The mosque management later issued a temporary ban on visitors, vans and unregistered taxis to the area.