Tolerance is not a one-way street

COMMENT | I went to a Pos Malaysia branch in Pulau Tikus, Penang yesterday and found a rather interesting display on its counter - “Beribadah dengan berwakaf di Pos Malaysia” (Worship by making religious endowment in Pos Malaysia) it read.

I took a train from KL Sentral to Butterworth two days ago and spent the entire four hour journey with an old pakcik reciting the Holy Quran for everyone on the coach to listen.

I stopped at a junction in Simpang Empat, Penang not too long ago and saw a banner by the roadside about a charity drive to help set up a tahfiz school (religious school).

I went to a pasar malam in Kulim, Kedah a few days ago and stumbled upon a few green buckets in the middle of the street - “Tambah Saham Akhirat” (Invest for Judgment Day) was written on them.

I visited a seafood restaurant in Seri Iskandar, Perak a few weeks ago and was subjected to a ceramah agama on the speaker system throughout my dinner.

I dropped by a bank a few months ago to open a savings account and ended up with an Islamic saving account. When I enquired why I wasn’t given an option to open a normal saving account, the bank clerk claimed it was a normal procedure...