KUALA LUMPUR – Netizens have lambasted celebrity preacher Azhar Idrus for his lecture on why Muslims should refrain from cleaning up non-Muslims’ houses of worship that were affected by the floods.
In a video posted on his official TikTok account, Azhar referenced the story of Prophet Ibrahim, who went into a temple in his town to demolish their idols.
“Look at Prophet Ibrahim’s story. Did he clean up (the temple) or did he ‘katok’ (northern Malay for ‘hit’)?
“We can’t ‘hit’, because we live in a multi-racial country. (If we said that) it’d be defamatory, do you understand?
“So, don’t interfere. It’s your own matter and your own religion. To idol worshippers, we don’t want (to interfere).”
In the video, which is over a minute long, Azhar said that those professing the Muslim faith can only clean up mosques and surau, but not houses of worship of other religions.
“Can Muslims clean up Hindu temples that have been affected by the floods? There is nothing to be cleaned.
“We have our own religion. We can clean up mosques and surau, but we do not wash idols. And through that, we can differentiate those who are faithful from those who are impious.”
However, he added that “during the time of Prophet Muhammad, a dark-skinned man would always help to clean mosques.”
“During the time of the prophet, we were encouraged to wash mosques. So much so that a dark-skinned man, a N****, would always clean the mosque.
“He suddenly disappeared one day, and the prophet asked for his whereabouts. When the prophet was informed that the man had passed away, he asked where his grave was.
“The prophet said it was so noble of him to wash mosques, and so, he prayed for him over the grave,” he said.
The video, which made its rounds since yesterday, has garnered around 33,200 likes and 3,303 comments.
Checks by The Vibes revealed that Azhar’s advice has generated a backlash, with users of the social media platform panning the preacher for being insensitive towards the predicament faced by flood victims.
In a response to the video, Rubha Raman Kutty urged the preacher to see for himself the problems encountered by Muslims.
“Alright, ustaz, I accept (your explanation). Don’t give a lecture next time and try to see for yourself the problems faced by people of your own religion. Thank you,” she said.
Another user only known as Huhu said it is evident that Muslims are “selfish and intolerant for refusing to help other races in clean-up work at their worship houses”.
“Other religions have helped us clean up our mosques, but we show them extremist and radical attitudes.”
Meanwhile, Sakthiswaran Sakthis said many Muslim preachers appear to be all talk but no action.
He claimed that he has not seen any of the preachers going on the ground to extend a helping hand to the people.
“There are so many ustaz and when it comes to lecturing, they are number one at it.
“But when it comes to going on the ground to help the people, where are all these preachers?”
TikTok user Nallubaby Gunaliny expressed similar sentiment and urged Azhar to be mindful of his words.
“Did you help the people? What is the problem now? Please watch what you say, Ustaz. There’s no use like this.
“God is watching and he knows what you have said,” Nallubaby said.
Responding to the same video, AizatonTikTok said he will still offer to clean up temples, as he adheres to the teachings of Islam, which includes respecting other religions.
“As much as the others help us to clean up mosques, I will help them to clean up temples. Respect.”
However, there are netizens who saw eye to eye with Azhar on the matter.
TikTok user Nadraja@GK agreed with the preacher, saying: “That’s correct and factual. That is why when it comes to seeking help from Muslims, there are many limitations. I understand.”
Another user by the name of Ayla said Muslims have never been calculative people.
“We respect each other. Muslims have never been calculative people. Just because we can’t help clean temples, our religion is being insulted.”
Meanwhile, another user, “sudip bin senduk”, said it is not wrong to do good, but when it comes to matters pertaining to religions, it is best to stay away.
Several days ago, a video documenting the efforts of young volunteers, including students from International Islamic University Malaysia cleaning a Hindu temple in Klang made its round on social media.
Nallan Dhanabalan’s video of the heartwarming event has since garnered upwards of 65,700 likes on TikTok, with the video also being shared on Twitter by local cartoonist Zunar.
Previously, Nallan shared a video of a group of Indian boys cleaning up a mosque nearby Klang that was affected by the floods.
In the video, a group of Indian boys are seen busy cleaning up the mosque, their hands full of mops and pails. – The Vibes, December 29, 2021
