Penang Chingay Festival praised for pause during Azan

NETIZENS are all in praise for the organisers of the Penang Chingay Festival after the event was paused to give way to the Azan (Muslims’ call for prayer).

Though some users are saying the band would continue playing during the Azan unless the event organiser called for a halt, the very fact that the band stopped playing pending the prayer’s duration is surely a mark of respect for Muslims who participated in the multi-racial event which is synonymous with Penang.

However, Facebook user Noor Haziq Hishamullah said:

(Penang is fine now. Peaceful and harmonious with various ethnicities. People from outside may not know what’s going on; it’s good to show respect. But I heard in a religious lecture, the speaker said it’s better to respond to the call to prayer. That’s what I understood.)

Added Maizul TE: “If only everyone is able to show mutual respect and consideration for each other. It wouldn’t cause any harm.” 

Moreover, Penang’s vibrant Chingay Festival parade commenced with 40+ teams, undeterred by an unexpected evening rain.

Reflecting the state’s multi-cultural essence, diverse associations convened at 7pm near Padang Brown on Jalan Johor, forming a colourful procession. Journeying through Jalan Penang, Jalan Burma, Jalan Transfer, Jalan Sri Bahari, Jalan Penang, Jalan Chulia, and Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, the lively parade concluded at Lebuh Light after a captivating four-hour spectacle. 

Amidst the procession, Chingay teams showcased remarkable feats, balancing colossal flag poles on foreheads and chins, complemented by dragon and lion dances, stilt walking, and dynamic school band performances.

In May this year, the issue of a surau using loudspeakers for azan at a condominium in Tanjung Tokong was resolved, thanks to the proactive effort of Penang police chief Comm Datuk Khaw Kok Chin.

He said the resolution followed discussions between the condominium’s joint management body (JMB) and the surau’s management. Comm Khaw said the police had received 21 reports so far on the matter.

It is learned there are four loudspeakers in the condominium’s surau, two small ones inside and two larger sized ones outside the surau. The JMB of the condominium is believed to have prohibited the surau from using the two large sized loudspeakers outside the surau. – Dec 31, 2023

 Main photo credit: The Star