ON Dec 5, Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah inaugurated the new Klang Chinese Muslim Jamek Mosque at Taman Desawan Dua near Bandar Bukit Tinggi. This new mosque is bound to attract many visitors from within the country and region, especially China.
Other Chinese mosques in Malaysia include those located at Rantau Panjang, Kelantan (Beijing style); Tasik Jaya, Ipoh (green roofs imported from Longyan, China); Krubong, Central Melaka District (incorporating mosque designs from Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi’an); and a small Chinese mosque built 131 years ago at Jalan Burmah, Penang.
In 2015, Sultan Sharafuddin visited Xi’an in the central part of China, which was the capital of the Chinese Empire for 1,100 years, and the beginning of the ancient Silk Road that reached the Mediterranean Sea. The entire network of overland routes totalled a massive 6,437km.
Apart from overland trade, the Silk Road passages facilitated the spread of religions, languages, cultures, and technologies and made a significant impact on the history and civilisations of Eurasia for 1,600 years from 140 BCE to 1453 CE and spread Islam westwards.
From 1403 to 1455, the famous Muslim Admiral Zheng He commanded seven treasure voyages across Asia from China and reached as far as Africa under the commission of successive Ming Emperors. In his last voyage, he made a pilgrimage to Mecca.
Many of his advisors were also Chinese Muslims and preachers, such as Ma Huan, a translator who spoke Arabic and was able to converse with the Muslims they encountered on their journeys. Much earlier, Muslim missionaries started preaching Islam in China in 651 CE.
There are 40,000 mosques in China and the oldest is Huaisheng Mosque in Guangzhou, which was originally built more than 1,300 years ago. The oldest mosque in Malaysia is Masjid Kampung Laut in Kelantan built in the 18th century.
In 2015, Sultan Sharafuddin was impressed with the architecture of the Great Mosque in Xi’an and later his subjects wanted to build a new Chinese Muslim mosque in Klang.
He advised them to visit Xi’an and draw inspiration from the Great Mosque there in designing the Klang mosque.
Interestingly, the Great Mosque built in 742 CE during the Tang Dynasty has remained largely unscathed over the past 1,282 years despite the rise and fall of the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, and under Communist Party rule since 1949.
In 2014, then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak visited Xi’an, which was reported by a local English daily on May 29.
After reading the reports. I shared a lesser-known fact that can be a real eye-opener, especially for Malaysians who have been over-reliant on government aid.
Some 672km from Xi’an is Wuzhong, a city with 1.5 million inhabitants of which 53% are Hui Muslims who speak fluent Mandarin. Zheng He was a Hui Muslim.
Limited government funds did not stop Wuzhong residents from building 1,300 mosques in the city, as local Muslims contributed without hesitation.
Their passion for religion is an inspiration to people everywhere, especially those overly dependent on government funding and subsidies.
As there are more than enough mosques in Wuzhong, with many underused, those who wish to build more can be invited to do so in Malaysia. Replicas of Wuzhong mosques in Malaysia will draw China tourists and Malaysians too will travel to Wuzhong to view and pray at the originals.
Such people-to-people exchanges could perhaps stop the bigots from spreading hatred against others of a different race or religion.
But sadly, many Malaysians can blindly support politicians and academicians who claim to champion their religion but in the same breath, condemn others of a different race or culture. To progress, we must learn from history and open our eyes wide to look at the bigger picture. – Dec 10, 2024
YS Chan is master trainer for Mesra Malaysia and Travel & Tours Enhancement Course as well as an Asean Tourism Master Trainer. He is also a transport and training consultant and writer.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main image: Media Selangor/Harun Tajudin
