The New Straits Times
By Halimatul Hamid, Aidi Amin and Yiswaree Palansamy
Teo, meanwhile, said she was disappointed that the matter had been blown out of proportion.
"I am disappointed and frustrated that my visit to the surau has been widely debated.
"I was invited to enter the surau by an ustaz and other Muslims who were there, and I did not do it deliberately."
Teo said she had gone to the surau to present a cheque as the mosque representatives had requested for aid to repair the fence of the surau.
"When I reached there, I was waiting outside the surau until they had finished their prayers to present the cheque but they continued asking me to come into the surau."
Teo said she asked repeatedly if she was permitted to enter the prayer area of the surau and the surau representatives unhesitatingly said that she could.
"I think the allegations hurled against me by a local daily is baseless. This matter has been blown out of proportion. I understand the sensitivity involved but I did not use the surau as a political arena as reported by the daily," Teo said.
In her speech inside the surau, she said she told surau representatives of the good news that the Selangor state government would provide scholarships to top achievers of the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia.
"It is obvious that it (daily) has no better issue to write (about) than to look for ways to run down DAP," Teo, who is also DAP national assistant publicity secretary, said.
Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Jamil Khir Baharom said everyone must respect all places of worship to avoid misunderstandings.
"As far as mosques are concerned, Muslims must guard their modesty before entering and this also applies to non-Muslims," he said.
Selangor Islamic Religious Council chairman Datuk Mohd Adzib Mohamad Isa said the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, had expressed regret over Teo's actions and had demanded that stern action be taken against the surau committee members.
He said it was a serious matter because Teo was not only a politician but also a non-Muslim.
Following the incident, the council has assumed control of the surau administration.
Selangor mufti Datuk Seri Mohd Tamyes Abdul Wahid said that non-Muslims could enter a mosque but they were forbidden from giving talks or speeches.
In defending Teo, Pas Information chief Idris Ahmad said she was merely giving a speech on how those in their golden years could improve their quality of life.
By Halimatul Hamid, Aidi Amin and Yiswaree Palansamy
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said it was up to the religious authorities to take any action on the issue of Serdang member of parliament Teo Nie Ching, who gave a speech at the Al-Huda surau in Kajang.
"We leave it to them to decide if any action should be taken on this matter.
"The religious authorities have the full power to act on such matters," Najib, who is also Umno president, said after chairing the party's supreme council meeting at the Putra World Trade Centre.
"We leave it to them to decide if any action should be taken on this matter.
"The religious authorities have the full power to act on such matters," Najib, who is also Umno president, said after chairing the party's supreme council meeting at the Putra World Trade Centre.
Teo, meanwhile, said she was disappointed that the matter had been blown out of proportion.
"I am disappointed and frustrated that my visit to the surau has been widely debated.
"I was invited to enter the surau by an ustaz and other Muslims who were there, and I did not do it deliberately."
Teo said she had gone to the surau to present a cheque as the mosque representatives had requested for aid to repair the fence of the surau.
"When I reached there, I was waiting outside the surau until they had finished their prayers to present the cheque but they continued asking me to come into the surau."
Teo said she asked repeatedly if she was permitted to enter the prayer area of the surau and the surau representatives unhesitatingly said that she could.
"I think the allegations hurled against me by a local daily is baseless. This matter has been blown out of proportion. I understand the sensitivity involved but I did not use the surau as a political arena as reported by the daily," Teo said.
In her speech inside the surau, she said she told surau representatives of the good news that the Selangor state government would provide scholarships to top achievers of the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia.
"It is obvious that it (daily) has no better issue to write (about) than to look for ways to run down DAP," Teo, who is also DAP national assistant publicity secretary, said.
Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Jamil Khir Baharom said everyone must respect all places of worship to avoid misunderstandings.
"As far as mosques are concerned, Muslims must guard their modesty before entering and this also applies to non-Muslims," he said.
Selangor Islamic Religious Council chairman Datuk Mohd Adzib Mohamad Isa said the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, had expressed regret over Teo's actions and had demanded that stern action be taken against the surau committee members.
He said it was a serious matter because Teo was not only a politician but also a non-Muslim.
Following the incident, the council has assumed control of the surau administration.
Selangor mufti Datuk Seri Mohd Tamyes Abdul Wahid said that non-Muslims could enter a mosque but they were forbidden from giving talks or speeches.
In defending Teo, Pas Information chief Idris Ahmad said she was merely giving a speech on how those in their golden years could improve their quality of life.
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