Malaysia proposes Asean mosque council

Bangkok, Feb 3 (Bernama) Malaysia has proposed thesetting up of an Asean Mosque Council, in a move to enhancethe role of mosques, in the region.

Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim)Director-General Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abd Aziz said mosques havean important role to play in the development of its ummah,especially in multi-dimensional aspects, including politics,economy and society.

"Mosque too can be a bridge between Muslim andnon-Muslim communities," he told a conference on ''The Role ofAsean Mosques in Sustainable Human Development'' yesterday.

He said the council, among others, could coordinatetrainings for imam (religious scholar) and mosqueadministrators in developing sustainable human development,adding that Malaysia was willing to share its expertise in thetraining aspects with others.

The council, he said, could also coordinate theexchange of imam and khatib for Friday prayers in the region,to further strengthen the Muslim community by sharingexperiences and knowledge.

Speaking to Bernama later, Wan Mohamad said the mosquecould be a bridge between Muslim and non-Muslim communities byorganizing activities involving both groups.

"They could also give meat to the poor non-Muslimduring the Qurban occasion by slaughtering cow which was notmeant for the Qurban on the same day. These approaches havebeen practiced in some mosques in Malaysia. By doing this,poor non-Muslim community could share some meat and not merelybe aware of the occasion without getting anything," he said.

(Bernama)