Probably tired of everyone else walking around being all angry, a group of 50 Malaysians in George Town, Penang, took it upon themselves to show others how it’s done: they walked peacefully together from one house of worship to another, in a show of rejection of the racial and religious polarisation currently harshing the country’s mellow.
The multiracial and multifaith group calls itself Malaysians for Malaysia, and was organizaed by social activists Azrul Mohd Khalib, Jenny Liew and Aida Redza. The group festooned itself with purple balloons and carnations which they passed out to members of the public during their walk, which began at 5pm yesterday around the Esplanade.
The group chose purple as their colour, to represent religious tolerance
The group event, called “A Walk in The Park”, made stops at a church, St George’s at Farquhar Street (which was atacked with molotov cocktails recently), a Taoist temple, a Hindu temple and finally a mosque.
Said Azrul, “The purpose of this walk is to demonstrate that Malaysians are standing up for all Malaysians and we are also standing up against groups like Islamist group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) and Malay rights group Perkasa to reject their prejudice and racism.
“We are Malaysians who are concerned over the religious tension over the ‘Allah’ issue, so this walk is to show that we want to stay united to reject all forms of violence, aggression and bigotry.”
Malaysians for Malaysia will be organizing similar events to Penang’s “Walk in The Park” in Ipoh, Kota Kinabalu, and Klang in the next few months.
Related: Molotov Cocktails Thrown At Church In Penang; PM Calls For Calm In Wake Of Penang Church Bombing
Photo: Opalyn Mok
Source: The Malay Mail Online
