QUICK TAKE: Certain actions carried out by man may be deemed as sacrilegious. Most of these are inevitable or unintentional but can have serious implications as these acts are seen to be offensive or violate particular religious principles.
Such a case presented itself when it was reported that the Kedah state government had called on the developers of a housing scheme in Langkawi to correct the structure of the roofs of a series of completed homes which appears to look like the symbol of the cross.
Kedah State Housing exco chairman Mat Zain Tajul viewed the matter as serious and hopes the parties concerned would cooperate to put an end to the issue.
The roofs of the houses could result in animosity and should be rectified so as not to become a lingering issue, said the authorities.
“I urge the developer concerned to look again at this issue so as not to appear as though they intentionally formed a cross on the roofs of these houses.
“I do not want to prolong this as it can be a sensitive issue involving religion. The respective housing developer has to ensure that the structure is corrected,” he told Malay daily Sinar Harian on Dec 24.
According to him, the state government will monitor the issue periodically.
The issue, which spread like wildfire on social media, could not be capped as photographs of the two-storey terrace houses with what looks like a symbol of the cross on the roofs appeared on Facebook on Dec 22.
From a distance, what resembles to be the symbol of the cross appears to form on the roofs where the division walls between two houses were constructed next to air wells on the top level of the houses.
The issue went viral since Dec 22.
Facebook user Ottoman Ibnu Othman posted on his page: “Architecturally, any structure cannot run far away from a cross-shaped frame because it is to maintain the geometric balance of the building.
“What appears here is inevitable. It concerns the space created for lighting and air in between two units which are separated by the ‘party wall’.”
The following were among comments that were posted on Sinar Harian’s news site and Suara Rakyat’s Facebook page on the matter.
Facebook user Mohd Shukri Mohd Rejab commented: “The supposed ‘cross’ on the roofs are purely coincidental. The structure divides two units next to a required air well. Don’t let your psyche run wild.”
Andy Hamdan said: “Why are Muslims threatened? Nobody can change one’s believes except with permission of the Almighty.”
Lia apai: “This is what happens when issues are politicised. Politicians should be looking for ways to unite people not alienate them by using race and religion as a gimmick to get more followers.”
Based on state regulations, for a housing development to be carried out, a development order has to be obtained from the relevant district office. Such an issue could have been avoided by the authorities at the point the plans were presented for approval.-The Ant Daily
Post a Comment