Convert Muslim preacher (Ridhuan Tee) wants Selangor MB to halt proliferation of Hindu temples

Focus Malaysia:

Convert Muslim preacher wants Selangor MB to halt proliferation of Hindu temples

OBNOXIOUS or otherwise, academician Prof Dr Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah has urged Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari to control the excessive number of illegally built Hindu temples a.k.a. kuil haram in the state.

The renowned Muslim preacher with a pro-opposition stance went on to argue that the temple issue must be dealt with in accordance with guidelines and laws – as opposed to the taste of politicians – “if you (Amirudin) want Selangor to be peaceful and harmonious”.

Towards this end, Ridhuan offered 10 pointers:

• Handle the temple issue wisely as there are already too many in the state
• Deal with the temple issue fairly because this is not a small issue
• Deal with this temple issue according to SOP before the case of Adib happens again*
• Deal with the temple issue with brains before the people rebel
• Deal with the temple issue by seeing for yourself, not just sending party representatives
• Deal with the temple issue with your heart, not vote count
• Ensure that temples are built according to need, not demand
• Address temple issues with formulas, not candy
• Deal with the temple issue wisely, not by turning blind eye to their illegal construction
• Deal with the temple issue according to the number of worshippers, then only would Selangor change

“My dear MB, whether you realise it or not, most temples in Selangor are built on public land as opposed to private land, thus making them kuil haram,” berated the lecturer of Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin in Kuala Terengganu in a recent Facebook post.

“At first small, then then they became too big. The saddest thing is that some temples are built in areas that have too few worshipers while some are close to each other. Their number is not few but too many while the number of devotees is not that many.”


‘More Hindu temples than mosques, surau’

Ridhuan’s reaction follows the Taman Koperasi Cuepacs Batu 12 and Jalan Desa Baru action committee’s long objection against the construction of a Hindu temple on a site at Jalan Cuepacs 1 in Taman Koperasi Cuepacs, Kajang.

“Surprisingly, the Kajang Municipal Council dared not take action as it is afraid of politicians,” lambasted Ridhuan.

“All PBTs (local authorities) in Selangor are the same; when they act according to the SOP (standard operating procedure), the politicians intervened. In the end, the PBTs are wrong and the politicians are right.”

Further ticking off MB Amirudin, Ridhuan stressed that any house of worship must be built according to need instead of preference.

“If not monitored, the state of Selangor will become ‘Darul Kuil’ and no longer ‘Darul Ehsan’ anymore,” justified the controversial preacher who in December 2022 was aggrieved upon his removal as a speaker on Islam in a Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) TV talk show.

As a solution to the number of Hindu temples in Selangor which he described as “overcrowded”, Riduan proposed that the state government conduct a study and census on the matter.

“It is impossible that the authorities are unaware that the number of Hindu temples has exceeded the number of mosques and surau in the state,” he chastised.

“If you still don’t believe what I wrote, tell your people to meet me. I’ll show you one by one the illegally-built temples which used to be small but have grown bigger since you administer the state.” – Jan 24, 2024


* Fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim, 24, died on Dec 17, 2018 after being seriously injured during a riot at the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Subang Jaya, Selangor.