Nga Kor Ming recently uttered “Alhamdulillah” (Praise be to God) in Parliament, which a member of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) found inappropriate.
During his speech in Dewan Rakyat on February 4 (Wednesday), Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming used several phrases commonly associated with gratitude in Islam, including “sujud syukur” (prostration of gratitude) and “Alhamdulillah”, while talking about his ministry’s achievements.
Kor Ming said “Alhamdulillah” to convey thankfulness and respect during his speech, but his choice of words drew attention and debate in Parliament about the use of religious phrases by a non-Muslim.
“Are you a believer?”
PAS Member of Parliament (MP), Datuk Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff, found it inappropriate and stood up to question Kor Ming about the use of Islamic phrases. Siti also thought that Kor Ming was toying with the phrases and reminded him not to “confuse” the people.
“I congratulate you on the efforts. I just want to be sure, YB used a lot of Muslim words in your closing remarks, such as sujud syukur, Alhamdulillah.”
“Are you a believer of Allah? We don’t want this word to be toyed around with. I don’t mind if YB is a Muslim, I fear this will confuse other Muslims.”
Siti added that the matter could potentially touch on the 3Rs, which the public has been urged to uphold and respect.
“Don’t get emotional, let’s rationalise.”
Responding to Siti Zailah’s statement, Kor Ming urged her not to get “emotional” and said that he was also a Kelantanese who was familiar with the terms commonly used by Muslims.
“As Malaysians, we respect Islam as the religion of the federation. We don’t play around with it.”
“Alhamdulillah is an Arabic word, as insya-Allah means ‘if God willing’ (with Allah’s permission), so this means I am grateful,” Kor Ming told Siti.
Azli Yusof, Shah Alam MP, also voiced his support and admiration for Kor Ming, saying that the latter often used terms synonymous with the Islamic community.
Also read: KPDN Raids Non-Muslim Eatery in Perak Using Quranic Verses to Mislead Customers on Halal Status
