KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 28 — The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) has urged Malaysians to be less prejudicial over one another’s religions, after air wells that resembled crosses at a housing development in Kedah prompted complaints and the state government’s intervention.
CFM chairman Rev Dr Eu Hong Seng said it was lamentable that such issues were raised over the mere appearance of the air wells, pointing out that not every object that was shaped like a cross was religiously significant to Christians.
“People need to be more broad minded. Something may appear like a cross, but it doesn’t necessarily represent the Christian cross,” he told Malay Mail Online when contacted.
“Even the multiplication sign is a cross; even the letter ’t’ is a cross. This matter is very unfortunate, but I am quite sure the majority of people are not affected by the appearance of the air well.”
Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) general secretary Rev Dr Hermen Shastri agreed the appearance of the air wells that resembled crosses from certain angles was not Christian iconology, and there was no harm for the Kedah government to order the developer of the housing project in Langkawi to paint over the roofs to obscure the offending parts.
But he also asked the whether the state government was overreacting by issuing such an order for what appeared to be an oversight by the developer.
“If they want to do this because it appears like a religious symbol, and they want to avoid it, then it is up to them,” he said
The photo of the houses in Langkawi recently surfaced on social media, with viewers’ attention drawn to the juxtaposition of the air wells and fire breaks that combined to resemble a cross on the roofs of the buildings.
From an aerial view, however, the parts of the roofs in question were square rather than cross-shaped as it appears in the photograph.
On Saturday, Kedah state executive councillor in charge of housing Datuk Tajul Urus Mat Zain told Malay Mail Online that the housing developer has been ordered to repaint the fire break walls to match the roof tiles to avoid further confusion.
Tajul Urus said that despite the problem not being a big one, and that the appearance of the cross was not the intention of the developer, the state had to step in because the images had gone viral on social media.
The case in Kedah is the most recent controversy over Christian icons, both actual and perceived, in the country. In April, an angry mob protested outside a church in Taman Medan, Petaling Jaya and demanded the removal of the cross affixed to the exterior of the building.
Religious ties in Malaysia have been taxed by recent events including the Muslim exclusivity over “Allah”, the Arabic word for God, as well as accusations against Christians for the alleged proselytisation of Muslims.
