By: Eman Lim
With regards to the incident where the imam at Masjid Jamae Chulia had made questionable supplications during Friday prayer sessions, a bit too late to prevent an online frenzy, but the truth has finally been confirmed by the source himself.
The imam has finally confirmed that the supplications in question were definitely not from the Quran, and made a public apology for his actions.
Now that he has come clean publicly and made an apology, let us forgive him for his actions and hope that he doesn’t repeat them again.
Let us also learn that we should remain calm and not jump to conclusions before knowing the truth. Especially when it comes to matters regarding the community where the lay person is easily impressioned and relies on public figures for their information. We should not rile up hatred or blame against any party, or make public accusations without first knowing the truth and the material facts.
The fact that so many people were convinced that the supplications were from the Quran, even though a simple check by reading the Quran would show that they were not, shows us just how vulnerable certain segments of the community are to the influence of public figures and online media that is presented to them by people in their immediate circle of influence.
There is a responsibility for all of us in the community to protect the peace and to ensure that the truth is presented appropriately so that everyone from the scholar to the layperson can understand it and what it means for them personally and for the community at large.
Now that the truth has been confirmed by the imam himself, what we should be doing is preventing more speculation and hearsay, and keep calm while waiting for the authorities to make further announcements on the latest developments in their investigations and the final closure on the matter.
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Republished from Eman Lim’s Facebook.