KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 — Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar has expressed regret over the actions of a politician who failed to respect the sanctity of prayer as a spiritual weapon of the ummah during a recent public assembly in the capital.

He said the content of the prayer recited in front of the crowd not only contained unfounded accusations against the country’s leadership but was also divisive among Muslims.

“The content of the prayer is deeply concerning as it could incite extremism and radicalism among the public,” he said in a statement posted on his social media yesterday.

He said prayer was a powerful link between man and Allah, as well as a means of seeking mercy, forgiveness, and strength to face life’s trials.

As such, he urged the public to remain vigilant against any party that did not respect the status of prayer from the perspective of Islamic law and who used it narrowly for personal or group interests.

Meanwhile, the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM) also voiced concern over several incidents during the assembly.

Its director-general, Assoc Prof Datuk Mohamed Azam Mohamed Adil, said the institute viewed seriously the acts of reciting Qunut Nazilah targeting national leaders, spreading sodomy allegations without evidence, and displaying symbolic effigies of leaders being caned — all of which were deemed to have violated Islamic ethics and decorum.

“Prayer is a noble act of worship and should be performed with wisdom and sincerity, free from emotional influence or political interest,” he said.

He also explained that spreading sodomy allegations without four male witnesses of just character constituted the offence of ‘qazaf’, which is strictly forbidden in Islam, while mocking a person’s dignity through symbolic insults clearly undermined the values of Malaysian decency. — Bernama