Hajiji presenting a certificate to a course participant while Tangau (right) looks on.
TUARAN: Muslims in this district have been urged to be moderates and not extremists, and most definitely not militants.
In making the call, Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Hj Hajiji Hj Noor stated that Islam has never advocated violence, what more murders.
Closing a ‘corpse-handling’ course at the An Nur Mosque here Saturday, he said just because of what a few adherents did, Islam, as a whole, gets a bad name.
“You could say that one bad apple spoils the whole branch,” he quipped.
He added that Islam could attract more people if Muslims showed that they were moderates and not as extreme as what they sometimes may see on TV or read in newspapers.
Referring to the recent crackdown by the police on Muslim Malaysian extremists, including Sabahans, suspected to be involved in extremist or terrorist activities, the minister pointed out that Islam never taught its followers to kill people, but instead to be moderates.
“How on earth are we going to attract people to join us if we are seen as extremists?” he asked, adding that the best way was through moderation.
Meanwhile, Hajiji, who is also Sulaman assemblyman, urged Muslims to be discreet when selecting reading materials on Islam, be it books or the Internet.
“There are hundreds, if not thousands, of books in bookstores, for instance, on Islam; but that does not necessarily mean that all of them are accurate or true. Some may be written by Muslims linked to extremists or militant groups. Some may be written by people linked to banned religious sects. Worse still, some may be written by non-Muslims with certain motives. So Muslims have to be careful and choosy,” he pointed out.
The one-day course was attended by 164 Muslims from throughout the Tuaran district. It was jointly organised by the An Nur Mosque committee, Umno Tuaran Religious Bureau and the State Islamic Department.
On the course, Hajiji, who is also Umno Tuaran divisional chairman, said it was timely so that there would be more Muslims trained to handle corpses in each village and the waiting time could be reduced.
Present were Tuaran member of parliament Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau, Tuaran OCPD DSP Abd Fuad Malek and Hajiji’s political secretary, Kassim Razali.
Also present were organising chairman Hj Murneh Hj Lamsari, mosque chairman Hj Kanaan Abd Razak, Tuaran Wanita Umno head Jamaliah Antalib and divisional secretary Johari Saiman.