Engaging in sembang santai to foster religious understanding

Apr 19, 2024

By Bernard Anthony
The leaders of Masjid Mu’adz Bin Jabal in Setiawangsa, organised a sembang santai (casual chat) with non-Muslims on April 6 in conjunction with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Among the guests were Dr Florence John and members of the Parish Ministry for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Kuala Lumpur, representing the Catholic Church, representatives from the two neighbouring Methodist churches, as well as the Bahá'í community members.

Datuk Seri Zakaria, chairman of the mosque, along with several members, welcomed the diverse group. Also in attendance were Dr Hasmeet Chaal, Tengku Ameer of Skil Malaysia, Tuan Haji Tarmirzi of Bernas Nasional, Tuan Haji Shukri Zain of MARA Incorporated Sdn Bhd, and Tuan Haji Nazrul Azam Ghazali of MK Prima Sdn Bhd Ustad Hilman Fikri Azman of Skil Malaysia led the discussion.

According to Dr Florence, the interreligious dialogue delved into topics such as the concept of God and self-consciousness in Islam, beliefs of those who follow God and those who follow Jesus, and perspectives of individuals who do not believe in God or Jesus. She added that every participant gained a deeper understanding of each other’s beliefs and collectively aimed for unity and mutual respect among all Malaysians.

Following the dialogue session, the Catholic group had a photo session with the Mosque chairman and several of the members. The event concluded with the berbuka puasa, or breaking of the fast, held in the mosque grounds. The event, which began at 5.00pm, concluded at 8.30pm.