THE recent controversy over the Hindu temple occupying a plot of land in Jalan Masjid India has seen the issue being exploited to suit certain agendas.
Not least with firebrand preachers such as Firdaus Wong Wai Hung and Zamri Vinoth who were hell bent on turning the narrative into a 3R (race, royalty and religion) issue.
For sure, it is a contentious issue and one that strikes a raw nerve among all communities.
Now, it seems that another Hindu temple has been allegedly built on a piece of land belonging to the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) which has been set aside for the construction of a mosque in Dengkil, Selangor.
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Sure enough, the clarion call to action was seized upon by Firdaus Wong in double quick time who suggested that Malay-Muslim rights were being trampled upon.
His post was accompanied by many comments that veer dangerously close to being seditious. More than one suggested just renting a bulldozer to do the necessary.
The sense of anger and frustration was palpable among many commenters who were angered by the need to eventually compensate the illegal settler. There were calls to “just take the matter to court and dump the culprit in jail”.
The accusation that the authorities were biased against Malay-Muslims was also rife.
Amid all the belligerent comments, there were those who sought to calm things down by offering an explanation as to why this situation came to be.
One netizen who claimed to be a resident of the area explained that the plot was far away from town, making it difficult for Muslims to get to if a mosque was built there. Furthermore, the so-called temple or place or worship was currently next to a Tamil school.
A seemingly lone voice amid all the anger and hubris was @ThashaPKN who appealed to NOT make things worse with 3R rhetoric. Just follow the law, give the settler notice to vacate and let the authorities build the mosque.
In an update by a netizen who claims to be a local resident, it was stated that the structure was NOT a temple per se but an altar for the houses nearby.
Hence, it also included a Chinese tokong (shrine) within its walls. The netizen went on to say this was NOT a race or religious issue but simply one of illegal squatting. Nevertheless, the settler wished to be compensated.
It has since been claimed that the issue has been settled and that the construction of the mosque will proceed as soon as possible.
What these episodes highlight is that there is a tinderbox waiting to go off if not handled properly.
Amicable solutions need to be found to avoid things taking a tragic turn as it did when a fireman lost his life during rioting pertaining to a temple in USJ, Selangor which was also alleged to be illegal structures.
If anything, the rising temperature surrounding this highly contentious issue underlines that long-term solutions need to be found.
Is there the political will to do so? – April 11, 2025
Main image credit: MALAYSIA PROBLEM (@Malaysia_Problm)/X
