KLANG: A 37-year-old man who is suspected of causing a stir by placing statues of Chinese and Hindu deities at a mosque at Pandamaran here was arrested by police on Sunday.
The suspect who lives a stone’s throw away from the Surau Sabilul Huda at Taman Pendamar Indah 1 is believed to be mentally unstable and influenced by deviant Islamic teachings.
He apparently told investigators that he had dreams that prompted him to place the deities at the mosque.
Klang South police chief ACP Shamsul Amar Ramli said personnel of a special task force from the district CID that was formed to solve the case raided a house not far from the mosque before arresting the jobless suspect at 6.15pm.
He said the suspect also tested positive for drug abuse and has two past criminal records – causing hurt in 1997 and theft in 2000.
“The suspect confessed to acting alone in both cases on Saturday and Wednesday. We do not discount the possibility of him suffering from mental health problems. With his arrest, police have solved both cases involving the said mosque.” Shamsul said.
He said police findings showed that the act was neither the work of individuals or groups who were out desecrate places of worship or insult religions nor did it involve racial and religious sensitivities.
Police also learnt that the suspect had recently returned from a neighbouring country where he was working and had attended deviant religious teachings.
On Wednesday, a statue of the Chinese demi-god “Datuk Kong” was left at the same spot of the mosque, raising the ire of the mosque’s committee and worshippers.
It was later discovered that the statue was stolen from a shrine belonging to a 50-year-old man who lived with his family about 50m from the mosque.
The man lodged a police report on the disappearance for the statue.
On Saturday, in a similar occurence, two small figurines of Hindu deities were left on the perimeter walls at the main entrance of the mosque.
Although the first incident raised the ire of members of the mosque, it was heart-warming to note that the close-knit multi-racial community in the residential area were quick to quash the incident as the work of mischevious individuals who were out to cause displeasure among residents.
On Sunday, Klang MP Charles Santiago pledged to install close-circuit security cameras at the mosque to deter such incidents in future.
Shamsul also commended the mosque committee and residents in the area for giving their full cooperation to the police and ensuring the matter was not blown out of proportion.
“I wish to compliment all those living in the area and also Klang MP Charles Santiago for working together to keep the harmony of the multi-races intact. It was heart-warming to see how well this was resolved without any displeasure among them.” he said.
Meanwhile, Surau Sabilul Huda chairman Idris Mazlan praised the police for their swift action in solving the case.
He said the incidents in his opinion is a small one but swelled into a serious issue after videos and news of it went viral in the social media.
“Personally, I would not have wanted to lodge a police report as it is a minor case which we could have just ignored but when it went viral, we were forced to make a police report. Often, when such cases happen, suspicions are cast upon non-Muslims but here we have the truth, it was the work of our own, a Muslim. This is very embarrassing. That is why in Islam, it is wrong to blindly judge and accuse anyone. We have never had any problems living together with all races all these years. The ones who had stoked the fire of racism and hate are those from outside of this settlement. They have no idea of the close ties we have with the multi-races here. Hence, we are unaffected by their comments and we will continue living in peace.” he said.
Idris said Muslims should not get too carried away with politics and blend it into religious matters.
“We should began by correcting ourselves and not be judgmental of others. If others do not adhere to Islamic principles, then we leave it to God to change them and not us. Who are we to decide on the fate of others?” he said.
