Worshippers in moving train draws criticism and praise

Focus Malaysia:

Worshippers in moving train draws criticism and praise

RACE and religion have a way of turning into a veritable firestorm in Malaysia, and that is exactly what happened when a video of Muslims praying in a moving KTM turned viral.


The netizen @Cikgu_Anep, who posted the video, said the worshippers were forced to make their morning prayers in the train since they had to commute quickly in the morning to their place of work. He reminded that the spiritual duties of a Muslim should not be hampered by worldly obstacles.

However, in Boleh Land, topics regarding religion can swing in unpredictable directions. The video that has since garnered over 4 million views quickly became an epicentre for religious debate, with many unfavourable comments towards the worshippers.

One netizen shared that it may be problematic to conduct prayers in the moving KTM since Muslims need to face the Qibla.

Not unlike the previous concerned netizen, @JERII71 expressed doubt over the cleanliness of the station which may not be appropriate for worshipping purposes.

A netizen further pointed out that such measures were unnecessary and were in fact frowned upon by the prophet.

Another drew parallels to the possibility of Christians, Hindus and Buddhist praying within the KTM. Would there be a racial outrage then?

Since this was a public transport, it may be a cause of inconvenience to non-muslims or non-praying Muslims who use the pathway to move about.

Finally, there was a netizen who defended their action, stating that it was never an issue until the video cropped up.

Spirituality technicalities aside, it is important for us to realise that relationship problems are usually caused when two parties are unable to compromise. For the non-Muslims, let us observe some patience as we wait for our Muslim friends to finish their brief morning prayer.

And for the Muslims, perhaps there are more appropriate and comfortable places for one to commune with the divine, as suggested by a fellow Muslim netizen. The trick is not to make mountains out of molehills, but to make molehills out of mountains instead. – Aug 2, 2024