A 131-year-old Hindu temple in the heart of Kuala Lumpur is in danger of being demolished. The relocation of a Hindu temple to build a mosque has sparked strong public opposition. Which Hindu temple is being demolished in Malaysia? Why is it being demolished? What is the background to it? Let’s see in this news collection.
Hinduism is the fourth largest religion in Malaysia, located in Southeast Asia. Hindus make up 6.3 percent of the country’s total population. Most Hindus live in the western parts of Malaysia.
The majority of the people here are Malays, Chinese, and Indians, but most of the people in Malaysia follow Islam. There are more than 50 Hindu temples in Malaysia, including Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Sri Kandaswamy Temple, Sundararaja Perumal Temple, and Batu Malai Murugan.
In that regard, long before independence from the British, the Devi Sri Bhadra Kali Amman Temple was built in Malaysia in 1894. The temple is located in the busy Jalan Masjid India area, across the famous Jackal Mall street.
The land on which the Devi Sri Bhadra Kali Amman Temple is located is divided into two parts. One is privately owned and the other is owned by the government.
The Devi Sri Bhadra Kali Amman Temple is located on government land. In 2014, the private land near the temple was sold to the famous textile company Jackal Trading Company. It is said that the company’s late founder, Mohammed Jackal Ahmed, bought the temple land to build a large mosque on the site of the Hindu temple and gift it to Muslims.
The Devi Sri Bhadra Kali Amman Temple land is only 4000 square feet. But Jackal Trading Company has bought a total of 11 thousand square feet. Moreover, the foundation stone for the mosque is now being laid on 7000 square feet.
In 2021, the Malaysian government and the Kuala Lumpur City Council approved the construction of a large mosque on the site of the Hindu temple. Following this, plans were made to relocate the temple to another location.
Jekal Trading Company also offered to bear the entire cost of relocating the Devi Sri Bhadra Kali Amman Temple. For the past 10 years, it has been in talks with the Bhadra Kali Amman Temple Management Committee. The temple management committee has rejected the proposed alternative locations for the temple due to distance, size of the land and flood risk.
Meanwhile, the Kuala Lumpur City Council has decided not to demolish the temple structure until the relocation negotiations are completed smoothly. As a result, the temple demolition work has been suspended.
Meanwhile, tensions have been rising since the groundbreaking ceremony for the new mosque, which will be called Masjid Madani, a future Islamic place of worship, was held on March 27. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was reported to be presiding over the ceremony.
The new mosque is said to have been named Masjid Madani based on the Prime Minister’s slogan “Malaysia Madani”. Prime Minister Anwar has said that he cannot imagine demolishing any temple as Prime Minister and has promised that the mosque will be built only after the Hindu temple is relocated.
The relocation of a Hindu temple to build a mosque has sparked strong public opposition. The leader of the United Rights of Malaysians, Ramaswamy Palaniswami, has stressed that the temple is a “significant landmark” and “predates Malaysia’s independence”. He has declared that demolishing a long-standing Hindu temple for any other purpose is unacceptable.
However, the issue is being debated from a different angle. That is, during the British rule of Malaysia, Indians were brought to Malaysia as workers for the rubber industry and railways, and therefore they are said to have no land rights.
In this context, in the state of Selangor, where more than 700,000 Malaysian Indians live, there are 773 temples, all of which were built without permission, according to the government.
In fact, there are 4 mosques in that area. But there is only one Hindu temple. That too is a temple with a century-old historical significance. Therefore, Hindus say that the Malaysian government should understand the feelings of Hindus.
Furthermore, the mayor of Kuala Lumpur has assured that the temple will not be demolished and therefore there is no need for an alternative location, said Parthiban, the chairman of the temple management committee. He has asked no one to spread false news.
With the strong opposition of Hindus to the demolition and relocation of the temple increasing, it is uncertain whether an amicable solution will be reached.
Demolition of 131-year-old Hindu temple?: Tensions rising in Malaysia! AthibAn Tv (En)
