KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 — Muslims attending mosques for prayers should be mindful not to obstruct traffic, said Perlis Mufti Datuk Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin.
In a Facebook post that he explicitly said was not related to an altercation outside a Johor prayer hall yesterday, Asri said people of all faiths were entitled to unobstructed passage.
Asri did say, however, that the alleged behaviour of the motorist that led to his assault in Johor should be denounced.
“Roads are not for our (Muslim) use only, there are others who also have the right to use them within the rules.
“They may have emergencies, they may be non-Muslims who wish to go elsewhere or even Muslims who are not involved in the prayers, such as women, travellers and others,” he wrote.
He added that Muslims could avoid inconveniencing others by parking in an orderly manner, saying that being blocked on the roads was an “extreme pain”.
A man was assaulted outside a Muslim prayer hall near Johor Baru yesterday after he allegedly blared his car horn during Friday prayers.
A bystander captured the incident on video and later uploaded it to the Internet.
Police arrested four people on suspicion of rioting over the incident, but later released all of them on bail.
Authorities have repeatedly urged the public not to react to the incident.
