Sleepy Bukit Rotan Shines The Light On Religious Harmony

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The Masjid An-Nuriah, Tamil Methodist Church and the Sri Shakthi Dhevasthanam temple in Bukit Rotan are located close to one another.KUALA SELANGOR: One would never expect a Hindu priest to play a pivotal role in an Aidiladha celebration but that was exactly what happened in Bukit Rotan, here, seven years ago.
The residents had been searching for a cow that had escaped from the An-Nuriah mosque where it was due to be sacrificed the next day.
They searched every nook and cranny till 3am but could not find the cow. Just as they were about to give up, a Hindu priest found the cow at his temple, located about 50m from the mosque.
Ads by Kiosked“The priest dragged the cow over to the mosque and tied it down. He was so respectful of our customs and ensured we could carry on with our sacrificial rites,” recalled Kassim Alias, 47.
Kassim told FMT the priest’s action was even more remarkable considering cows were sacred to the Hindus.
He said such cooperation was normal in Bukit Rotan, a small town surrounded by oil palm plantations.
Located between the Ijok and Kuala Selangor townships and far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, Bukit Rotan has basic infrastructure and a golf course nearby but its most outstanding feature has to be the strong sense of community and camaraderie among the residents who come from different racial and religious backgrounds.
The An-Nuriah mosque has been there for the past 96 years, while the Sri Shakthi Dhevasthanam temple has been around for 110 years. The only thing that separates the two houses of worship is a post office, which is said to be 100 years old.
Across a small road on the other side of the mosque stands a Tamil Methodist church that was also established 96 years ago, and across from that is a Buddhist temple.
Ads by KioskedThe houses of worship are located within 200 metres of each other.
“During the fasting month, we share our bubur lambuk with (residents of other religions). It may seem little, but it establishes respect towards one another.
“When Aidilfitri comes around, we invite everyone in our village to come and celebrate with us,” said Kassim, who has been an administrator at the An-Nuriah mosque since he was 32.
He added that the managements of each house of worship would gladly allow their parking spaces to be used by visitors if the mosque, temple, or church was holding an event.
Pastor David Abraham, 71, said he would often meet up with the mosque’s imam and temple representatives to exchange views, adding that tolerance was key towards harmony in the community.
“We always help one another so that our respective religious ceremonies can go on smoothly. Why would we want to argue or make life difficult?” said David, when met at his home located next to the mosque.
Ads by Kiosked(Left to right) Tamil Methodist Church pastor David Abraham, Masjid An-Nuriah administrator Kassim Alias and imam Fakhrul Hasan sharing a light moment.Kassim and David expressed disappointment with how some parties were trying to fan racial sentiments or incite hatred among followers of different religions, citing the rhetoric that surfaced over the “Jom Ziarah Gereja” programme, as an example.
The “Jom Ziarah Gereja” programme organised by an NGO under the youth and sports ministry drew widespread attention as well as several police reports, though Muslims were said to have been barred from participating in the programme.
Kassim said it did not make sense for Muslims to “disturb” followers of other religions as Islam taught its followers to be respectful of others.
“What do we gain from stirring up racial and religious sentiments? No religion teaches its followers to do that. For youngsters, if they want a harmonious community, they must learn to get closer to those of other religions,” David added.
Kassim said he was proud of the harmony that the local community enjoys and described it as a “precious gem”.
“There are visitors who come from India and Sri Lanka to take pictures of our houses of worship, telling people from their home country about what they see here. They get excited and are so impressed by our ways.” - FMT

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