MUSLIM convert preacher Firdaus Wong Wai Hung has found himself at odds with Madani backers after he rebutted Council of Hindu Temples and Associations of Malaysia president Datuk Sivakumar Nadraja justification of temple cleaning activities should be assessed based on the purpose and method of implementation.
As such, the action of a group of Muslim students participating in temple cleaning activities, for example, should not be turned into a religious polemic but rather a space to foster tolerance and community unity.
The Batu Caves’ Sri Maha Mariamman Temple Devasthanam (SMMTD) trustee was likely addressing the recent viral gotong-royong exercise involving 20 multi-racial staff from the Ascott Citadines Hotel in Georgetown, Penang coming together to clean the Sri Kamatchi Amman temple in Jalan Datu Keramat.
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As it is, the Penang Islamic Religious Affairs Department (JHEAIPP) is investigating the involvement of Muslim hotel employees in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme with its enforcement division and the police having met the hotel’s management on Oct 14 to probe if religious sensitivities had been breached.
This is when Firdaus took a swipe at Sivakumar by ridiculing him in the manner as if “the Mufti of Batu Caves is here to teach Muslims how to practice their religion properly”.
“The Penang Mufti has spoken by contending that there’s no need (for non-Muslims) to interfere with the affairs of Muslims,” jibed the Multiracial Reverted Muslims (MRM) founder.
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His logic is, “the act of a Muslim student cleaning temple can become a space to foster tolerance and community unity.
If he uses his logic, can it become a space to foster tolerance and community unity, too, if Muslims invite him to attend the annual korban (sacrifice) ceremony next year while requesting him to hold the cow that is about to be slaughtered and later help clean the cow?
Flawed, insensitive analogy
Instead of being a busy body, Firdaus further chided Sivakumar that “he better channel his attention to educating land invaders from erecting illegal temples and later ask for compensation when they are chased away”.
“Don’t play victim … Obey the law and mind your own business,” added the NGO Gerakan Anti Rumah Anutan Haram (GARAH) chairman.
Interestingly, Muslim Madani backers/keyboard warriors were as insulted as the Hindus with Firdaus’ jibe at Sivakumar so much so that some challenged Firdaus “to hold pigs slated for Chinese New Year slaughter “.
This can be gauged from Firdaus’ opinion which was aired by the Info Semasa Dan Cerita Viral Kini Facebook page which attracted 11.9K likes, 3.4K comments and 768 shares at the time of writing.
One Muslim Madani supporter went on to berate Firdaus as “genuine Malay religion rider with intention to disrupt racial harmony”.
As Hindus joined the fray to tick off Firdaus for his “insensitive analogy”. their Muslim compatriots contended that Sivalumar’s has not entirely erred with his logic except that Islam has limitations when it comes to the act of cleaning a non-Muslim house of worship.
“We’re not disrespectful to your temple. We respect you as Malaysians. It’s just that in Islam, we are forbidden from helping with anything related to the worship of other religions,” clarified one commenter.
“Just like if we asked you to hold a sacrificial cow, you wouldn’t be comfortable, right? That’s not hatred, that’s protecting each other’s beliefs. If there’s mutual cooperation in cleaning parks, drains, schools, we’re the first to help.” – Oct 16, 2026
