ISU TERESA KOK: Laporan Media Mengenai Azan

September 12th, 2008 by Teresa

KUTIPAN UTUSAN MALAYSIA ONLINE 11hb Sept 2008

Isu azan: Teresa nafi larang

SHAH ALAM 10 Sept. - Ahli Parlimen Seputeh, Teresa Kok Suh Sim menafikan melarang azan dilaungkan di masjid dan surau di sekitar Kota Damansara, Sri Serdang dan Puchong Jaya.

Menurut beliau, isu berkenaan sengaja dicetuskan oleh pihak-pihak tertentu yang bermotifkan politik.

Beliau menafikan menerima rungutan daripada penduduk bukan beragama Islam tentang laungan azan.

“Saya tidak pernah tulis surat kepada Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Sri Serdang, Datuk Mohamad Satim Diman mengenai petisyen bantahan penduduk yang tidak berpuas hati atau meminta pihak jawatankuasa masjid supaya tidak menggunakan pembesar suara untuk melaungkan azan di mana-mana masjid di negeri ini.

“Ini semua (tuduhan) tidak benar, kalau saya hendak minta bantuan mengenai masjid atau sebagainya, lebih baik saya minta daripada Datuk Dr. Hassan Mohamed Ali selaku Exco yang bertanggungjawab dalam hal ehwal agama Islam,” katanya kepada pemberita selepas mesyuarat Exco di Bangunan Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri (SUK) di sini hari ini.

Pada 8 September lalu, bekas Menteri Besar Selangor, Datuk Seri Dr. Mohamad Khir Toyo memberi ingatan keras terhadap kerajaan negeri pakatan pembangkang supaya bertindak tegas serta tidak melayan mana-mana pihak yang mendesak mahukan laungan azan solat di surau dan masjid di negeri itu tidak lagi menggunakan pembesar suara.

Menurut Mohamad Khir, ingatan itu dibuat ekoran wujud usaha-usaha pihak tertentu yang dipercayai didalangi salah sebuah parti politik yang membentuk kerajaan negeri itu, membuat petisyen membantah azan di Puchong dan Kota Damansara.

Malah, masjid di Seksyen 5, Kota Damansara yang baru siap dan digunakan menjelang Ramadan lalu didapati tidak menggunakan pembesar suara dipercayai mempunyai kaitan dengan bantahan penduduk kawasan berkenaan.

Selain isu azan, Teresa juga dikaitkan dengan isu menggantikan tulisan jawi pada papan tanda nama jalan dengan tulis Tamil, Cina dan Inggeris.

Dalam pada itu, Teresa yang juga Ahli Parlimen Seputeh serta Setiausaha Publisiti DAP itu turut mengugut akan mengambil tindakan undang- undang terhadap mereka yang mengaitkan beliau mengenai dakwaan tersebut.

”Saya minta mereka yang terlibat (Mohamad Khir dan Satim) supaya menarik tuduhan ini termasuklah Utusan Malaysia yang membuat laporan tidak benar.

”Saya tidak ada masalah dengan laungan azan dan rumah saya pun dekat dengan masjid.

“Saya tidak faham kenapa saya dijadikan sasaran. Mungkin mereka berniat jahat terhadap saya,” ujarnya. ”

(Tamat Kutipan)

MALAYSIAKINI 11th Sept 2008

Report lodged against Khir Toyo for stirring up ‘azans’

Fauwaz Abdul Aziz and Rahmah Ghazali | Sep 11, 08 2:18pm

A police report has been lodged against former Selangor menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo and a blog (MCPXpembelamelayu blogspot) for allegedly spreading “malicious slander” and “lies” about certain quarters within the Selangor government lobbying for directives against azans in the state.

Kota Raja member of parliament Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud of PAS lodged the report at the Dang Wangi district police station in Kuala Lumpur today, complaining that Khir’s statement, published in Malay daily Utusan Malaysia on Tuesday, was “maliciously intended and aimed at raising the anger and anxiety of Malay Muslims”.

In the Utusan report, Khir was reported to have urged the opposition Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor government not to concede to purported moves by “a certain party” to disallow azans (calls for prayers) emanating from loudspeakers of mosques in Puchong and Kota Damansara.

Khir also lamented that “while we practice freedom of religion, members of a certain religion celebrate to the extent that roads are closed, Muslims do not protest.”

Lies and slander

Meanwhile, on the pembelamelayu blogspot, Khir was quoted on June 26 as alleging that Selangor exco and DAP leader Teresa Kok had submitted a petition to Umno’s Seri Serdang state assemblyperson Satim Diman which supposedly described the azans as “disturbing the peace” of local residents.

The blog also alleged that the petition requested for the calls to prayers there to be “toned down”.

“Umno state legislators seeking to protest the petition were ordered to remain seated, while Muslim legislators from Pakatan sat quietly and did not debate the issue.”

Siti Mariah, however, said she had checked with Kok as well as the state assembly hansard containing Satim’s speech and said she had ascertained that all the allegations regarding the azans were not true.

“The issue of there being a directive against azans does not arise at all,” she told reporters after lodging the police report.

She said Mohd Khir’s statements are “lies, slander, and maliciously intended at raising the anger and anxiety of Malay-Muslims in the country and to incite their hatred against party leaders in Pakatan Rakyat, particularly DAP,”.

“If the allegations are found (by the police) to be not true, then action must be taken against him (Mohd Khir) for spreading slander and for incitement. The issue must be taken seriously because it can lead to racial and inter-religious conflict,” she added.

Siti Mariah also said she supported Deputy Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar’s statement, reported in the Star today, that the police would not hesitate to take stern action against anyone found to be exploiting racial and sensitive matters.

“If you meet with Malay Muslims, you will find that these (racial) issues are being hotly debated. We are worried. I believe the intention (behind Khir’s statements) can be nothing but bad,” she said.

“In this month of Ramadan, we hope that he repents,” Siti Mariah added.

Position of Islam assured

The PAS exco member said Pakatan will ensure that the position of Islam as the official religion of the Federation is not affected while maintaining unity between the various communities.

“Never once will we allow any party to raise feelings of discontent among Malaysians. The position of Islam as the official religion of the Federation is enshrined in the Constitution.

“If any issues arise that makes any racial or religious community uncomfortable, that issue can be discussed between leaders of Pakatan Rakyat and the leaders of the five states that we hold,” she said.

Siti Mariah said only Umno has exploited racial and religious issues in its attempts to regain its lost support. During its rule in Selangor, it was behind the “locking up” of mosques and the ban against some religious speakers.

“DAP leaders have never stepped into or meddled in Islamic affairs. All this while, it has been Umno that has oppressed Islam,” she said.

Hulu Kelang state assemblyperson Saari Sungib also said he and several other PAS leaders, including state exco in charge of Islamic affairs Dr Hassan Ali and Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, had met with Selangor menteri besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim following the Utusan report.

“The menteri besar has clarified that there was no move against azans. I do not know how that issue has arisen,” said Saari when contacted earlier.

When reached for a response, Mohd Khir declined comment.

“The matter is now a subject of police investigations. Let the police handle it. Then we will see who is right and who is wrong,” he said.

Puchong MP and DAP leader Gobind Singh Deo, meanwhile, called for Mohd Khir to furnish proof of his allegations that there were any such moves by Pakatan leaders against azans.

“There has never been such a move. We respect religious practices, we think prayers are good, we support our Muslim brothers and sisters, and there is no question, especially during this month of Ramadan, to do this sort of thing. We are very sensitive towards such matters.

“I call on Mohd Khir to show proof to justify what he’s saying,” he told Malaysiakini.

(END OF REPORT)

-Sassy MP

[http://teresakok.com/2008/09/12/laporan-media-mengenai-azan/]

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