Parti Sosialis Malaysia Petaling Jaya (PSM PJ) expresses deep concern and firm opposition to the Selangor state government’s proposed guidelines that impose arbitrary physical restrictions and ban non-Muslim houses of worship (RISI) in new commercial zones. The state government’s proposal directly contradicts the supreme law of the nation, the Federal Constitution, which legitimises freedom of religion under Article 11 (1).

We oppose these restrictions as they have a grave impact on social cohesion and harmony in Malaysia and the restriction of third spaces that far exceeds the government’s short-sighted concerns about “parking and traffic congestion near places of worship”.

1) Worsening the chronic shortage of approved land for non-Muslim places of worship

For decades, non-Muslim communities across Selangor have worshipped in shophouses because there is insufficient gazetted land for non-Islamic places of worship, a lack of mandatory land allocations, and more. Now, the state government’s proposal to restrict RISI in new commercial zones without resolving the root cause, which is land insufficiency, is a highly irresponsible action.

2) Setting restrictive guidelines on non-Muslim places of worship without solid rationale risks stoking religious tensions among Malaysians.

The suspended guidelines contained a provision barring non-Muslim houses of worship from exceeding the height of the nearest mosque without any justification. Many Malaysians see it as a demeaning move to non-Muslim places of worship and interpret this decision as a political gesture to undermine the rights of religious minorities to build dignified, permanent places of worship.

3) Banning non-Muslim houses of worship in commercial zones is a move to restrict third spaces for community building.

In most urban areas, there are very limited free and accessible third spaces such as parks, community centres and libraries for Malaysians from different economic backgrounds to gather. Religious worship places are some of the few third spaces left for social activities such as festive gatherings, religious classes, charity activities and more.

Restricting religious worship places in commercial areas will reduce community building activities that are important for nation-building and social cohesion. Building non-Muslim places of worship in residential areas will (1) limit visitors due to parking and security reasons, (2) cause disturbance and inconvenience to residents, (3) widen social inequality as only well-off communities can afford to turn residential houses into places of worship.

Religious sensitivity must be considered by the government before proceeding with concrete and rational solutions to maintain social harmony and cohesion, such as:

1. Conduct genuine, direct stakeholder engagement with non-Muslim religious communities, such as the worshippers, temple committees, religious councils and community organisations to ensure inclusive policymaking;
2. Ensure proper land acquisition for long-standing, decades-old temples and churches immediately to combat inflammatory and racialised comments about non-Muslim places of worship, recognising their historical and cultural significance, and allowing them to manage their premises properly;
3. Introduce easier land alienation processes for non-Muslim religious communities, including fair quotas for land allocation and reducing bureaucratic hurdles for application and operation;
4. Where restrictions are genuinely necessary, apply them proportionately, for example, limits on the number of simultaneous worshippers, or conditions related to proximity to animal slaughter areas.

The Selangor state government must do better. A state that positions itself as modern and inclusive cannot govern its non-Muslim communities through restriction, silence and political posturing.


Gandipan Nantha Gopalan
Chairperson
Parti Sosialis Malaysia Petaling Jaya Branch
&
Cheong Huei Ting
Secretary
Parti Sosialis Malaysia Petaling Jaya Branch