Latest news with #religiousOffence
Malay Mail
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Minister urges review after Melaka mosque calligraphy's spelling error of ‘Allah' goes unnoticed for years
KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 – Mosque and surau committees nationwide have reportedly been urged to review the Arabic calligraphy of khat displayed in their premises to prevent religious offences coming from errors. After a furore over a mosque in Melaka, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Mohd Na'im Mokhtar reportedly said it was crucial to verify the source and accuracy of any calligraphy to avoid future issues. 'Mosque and surau committees must take the initiative to verify any calligraphy before displaying it at these premises,' he was quoted saying by Harian Metro. 'There must be an effort to thoroughly check any calligraphy to be displayed, ensuring that it aligns with the Quran and Hadith.' A mosque in Melaka had reportedly displayed a wrong spelling of the word 'Allah' for the past few years in its interior decoration, but it had gone unnoticed after a Facebook account highlighted the matter. The calligraphy had spelt the word 'Allah' using three lam characters in the Arabic spelling rather than two. Mohd Na'im said Melaka's State Executive Councillor for Education, Higher Education and Religious Affairs, Datuk Rahmad Mariman, had also instructed all mosques and suraus in the state to reassess their calligraphy. He also thanked members of the public for highlighting the mistake but urged that feedback be given respectfully. 'Thank you to those in the community who spoke up to correct the mistake. If the khat is wrong, we correct it,' he said. 'I only ask that we pay attention to how we deliver our feedback. If we see a mistake, there's no need to use insulting or belittling language.'
Malay Mail
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Ministry urges review after Melaka mosque calligraphy's spelling error of ‘Allah' goes unnoticed for years
KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 – Mosque and surau committees nationwide have reportedly been urged to review the Arabic calligraphy of khat displayed in their premises to prevent religious offences coming from errors. After a furore over a mosque in Melaka, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Mohd Na'im Mokhtar reportedly said it was crucial to verify the source and accuracy of any calligraphy to avoid future issues. 'Mosque and surau committees must take the initiative to verify any calligraphy before displaying it at these premises,' he was quoted saying by Harian Metro. 'There must be an effort to thoroughly check any calligraphy to be displayed, ensuring that it aligns with the Quran and Hadith.' A mosque in Melaka had reportedly displayed a wrong spelling of the word 'Allah' for the past few years in its interior decoration, but it had gone unnoticed after a Facebook account highlighted the matter. The calligraphy had spelt the word 'Allah' using three lam characters in the Arabic spelling rather than two. Mohd Na'im said Melaka's State Executive Councillor for Education, Higher Education and Religious Affairs, Datuk Rahmad Mariman, had also instructed all mosques and suraus in the state to reassess their calligraphy. He also thanked members of the public for highlighting the mistake but urged that feedback be given respectfully. 'Thank you to those in the community who spoke up to correct the mistake. If the khat is wrong, we correct it,' he said. 'I only ask that we pay attention to how we deliver our feedback. If we see a mistake, there's no need to use insulting or belittling language.'
Reuters
02-06-2025
- General
- Reuters
Man convicted for burning Koran outside London's Turkish consulate
LONDON, June 2 (Reuters) - A man who set fire to a copy of the Koran outside the Turkish consulate in London was found guilty on Monday of committing a religiously aggravated public order offence, in a verdict critics said effectively reinstated an abolished blasphemy law. Hamit Coskun, 50, was fined 240 pounds ($325) at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court after being convicted of being disorderly by shouting "Fuck Islam" as he held aloft the burning book near the consulate in central London in February. The lawyer for Coskun, whose father was Kurdish and his mother Armenian and who lived in central England, had argued that the prosecution amounted to an attempt to bring back a blasphemy law that was abolished in England in 2008. Coskun had denied the charge and said on social media he was carrying out a protest against the Turkish government. While he was holding the book aloft, he was attacked by a man with a knife who kicked and spat at him. "Burning a religious book, although offensive, to some is not necessarily disorderly," said Judge John McGarva. "What made his conduct disorderly was the timing and location of the conduct and that all this was accompanied by abusive language. There was no need for him to use the 'F word' and direct it towards Islam." The National Secular Society (NSS), which helped pay his legal fees, said the prosecution was "a significant blow to freedom of expression", a sentiment echoed by the main opposition Conservative Party. "Britain has no blasphemy laws. Yet this verdict creates one de facto," the party posted on X. "Parliament never voted for it. The British people do not want it. This decision is wrong." ($1 = 0.7395 pounds)
