KUALA LUMPUR – Bangsar’s Saidina Abu Bakar As-Siddiq Mosque (MSABA) was awarded the National Press Club’s (NPC) MACROKIOSK Muhibbah Award for its initiative to invite a non-Muslim doctor to give a lecture to its congregation on how to quit smoking during the Ramadan month.
NPC president Datuk Ahirudin Attan presented the award to chief imam Zakaria Yahya.
Ahirudin said the award is to acknowledge efforts at fostering goodwill and friendship irrespective of race, religion or nationality.
“Through this award, we hope to rekindle the spirit of Muhibbah and help create a stronger, more resilient, and more united Malaysia.
“These goals are not only the responsibilities of the leaders but also everyone in Malaysia.
“A truly Muhibbah Malaysia can only be attained through the collective efforts of all of us, both in this room and beyond,” he said.
The NPC, together with enterprise solutions platform provider MACROKIOSK, launched The Muhibbah Award last month to recognise any individual, group or organisation that best exemplifies the true spirit of Muhibbah in Malaysia.
Groups of media editors take turns evaluating nominees for the award.
In expressing MSABA’s gratitude for the award, Zakaria said: “We are deeply honoured to receive this recognition and thank Allah SWT for His blessings. We will continue to spread the Muhibbah spirit amongst us.”
The anti-smoking lecture came about when the mosque decided the fasting month was a good time to persuade smokers among the congregation to drop the unhealthy habit.
It then reached out to the Tanglin Health Clinic to send a medical officer to give a lecture at the mosque. When it turned out that the assigned officer was a Sikh doctor, they decided to go ahead with it as it is not against the religion to learn from non-Muslims.
MACROKIOSK chief executive Kenny Goh says the Muhibbah spirit has always been a part of the company.
“The Muhibbah spirit has always been a part of me from young. We are a Malaysian company with offices across 12 countries.
“We are honoured to be associated with this award even more so with having support from the NPC. We hope to spread the Muhibbah spirit far and wide,” he said.
The award caught MSABA’s deputy chairman Azman Awang by surprise.
“It is a surprise to us that the act of inviting the non-Muslim doctor to lecture our congregation caught the attention of the NPC, as to us, we are only doing a normal thing.
“Maybe it is something extraordinary for others, but to us here at MSABA, reaching out to Muslims and non-Muslims is normal practice,” he said. – The Vibes, May 17, 2023
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