Two Selangor Temples Targeted In Suspected Acts Of Sabotage Urimai

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Two Hindu temples in Selangor have allegedly been targeted in suspected acts of sabotage within a week, raising concerns over rising religious intolerance, said the United for the Rights of Malaysians Party (Urimai).
In a statement today, Urimai interim deputy chairperson David Marshel cited the destruction of a statue at the Sri Maha Ayiram Kannudayar Alayam temple in Kapar as the first incident.
He said a similar case occurred at the Dewi Sri Kaliamman Alayam temple in Kampung Tasek Ampang (above), where an individual was detained while attempting to damage a statue.
“It is deeply disappointing that the individual was immediately labelled as ‘mentally unstable’ without any thorough investigation - as though to downplay the seriousness of the case,” he said.
David claimed both incidents may have involved deliberate planning by parties harbouring malicious intent against Hindu places of worship.
He also voiced concern over growing extremist narratives on social media, including allegations that certain temples were “illegal structures”.
“We regret that until now, no stern action has been taken against social media accounts spreading false and provocative information targeting Hindu devotees,” he said.
From extremism to terrorism
According to David, the pattern shows signs of religious extremism that could escalate into acts of terrorism.
He further claimed that recent remarks by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had emboldened such rhetoric.
This was in reference to Anwar’s comment that the Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman temple in Jalan Masjid India was built on a piece of land without permission from its previous and current owners.
“That temple has existed since pre-independence times. Baseless statements like that create space for extremists to propagate dangerous rhetoric nationwide,” David insisted.
He urged authorities and the government to act swiftly and comprehensively to prevent the issue from escalating into racial or religious conflict.
“National harmony is a shared responsibility. Firm action must be taken to ensure peace and justice for all,” he added. - Mkini

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