Imam of Masjid That Went Viral for Double-Standards During Prayers Wants Video Uploader to Apologise

By Ameera Rosli  •  in News
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Tiada layanan istimewa VIP solat berjemaah di masjid - Timbalan Menteri JPM - Semasa | mStar
source: Mstar

When we allocate time out of our day to worship God, do we face Him as a CEO, doctor or minister or do we simply pray as mere mortals?

If God sees us all as humans and has no regard for our rank on Earth, why must we segregate the community into such social classes during worship?

This issue surfaced when a video went viral outside of Masjid Putra in Putrajaya.

The man’s video showed how several regular folks were waiting outside and denied entry while a man, assumed to be a VIP, simply sauntered in accompanied by his bodyguards.

The video caused an uproar because it proved, that even during prayers, Malaysia will not loosen its grip on double-standards.

After the video was criticised on the internet, Ikmal Zaidi Hashim, the imam of the Masjid Putra which is the principal mosque of Putrajaya, issued a public statement via Facebook Live.

Tiada 'layanan dua darjat' di Masjid Putra
source: Harian Metro

He said that since Masjid Putra is a government masjid located near the PM’s office, it has designated 30 slots to accommodate VIPs. The other 270 slots are for regular worshippers.

His reasoning was, “We have to give chances to the VIPs. They are busy, and often have to leave late from work on Friday. So we are simply giving them a chance to fill up the 30 people quota.”

He added that these VIPs must register their names prior to attending the masjid while the rest of the public abided by the “early bird gets the worm” concept.

Ahmad Marzuk Shaary, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Religious Affairs, caught wind of this situation and urged the masjid to treat all worshippers equally.

While the masjid has apologised for the incident, imam Ikmal Zaidi had more to say about the video that went viral.

In a clip extracted from a Facebook Live, he said he doesn’t forgive the person who took the video and uploaded it.

He went on to say, “I hope the person who recorded the video receives the blessings of Allah but they must come and see me first to apologise.”

Places of worship in Malaysia reopens after nearly 2 months - The Statesman
source: The Statesman

In the Quran, chapter 49, verse 13, it reads, “O mankind we have created you from one male and female and made you into nations and the tribes that you may know one another. Surely the most honorable among you with Allah is the one who is the most righteous. Verily Allah is all-knowing all aware.”

There is nothing that separates humans in the eyes of God other than our loyalty to Him. No fancy Datukship can ever change where we came from therefore nobody has leverage over others when it comes to worship.

The sooner we realise and apply this, the less angry we will be towards each other.

Now this was smart: