Ipoh’s Chinese Mosque
After breakfast, we just walked to the Masjid Cina. Due to its architecture, it resembles a Chinese temple or palace. The Masjid Cina is a mosque and it is a place for Muslims to gather and pray. Because the mosque is a mosque there are some modifications to designs that typically go with a Chinese temple.
The original mosque was founded in 1973, but it has since been heavily renovated. The mosque is claimed to be the only mosque in Malaysia with 100% Chinese architectural design, underscored in the style of the roof and the red color of the building. The roof of the mosque was reportedly imported from Longyan, a city in southern China.
This was my first to really see Muslim Chinese people. A number of Chinese people in Malaysia talk about Islam like it is a bad religion. This belief happened maybe because some of the Malays believe in Islamization and this causes some issues for people. But, I never think about that. I asked Muslim Chinese people at the mosque why they believe in Islam, and they answered, ‘to finally find out about their real home’. The teachings of Islam were required for them and then home became most comfortable for them.
I always believe what we seek to achieve from all the religions in the world is the same, even though our cultures and teachings are different. One thing that I need to mention is to be yourself: even though we have different minds from other people, if something is a beneficial thing you can do to make yourself more comfortable, do it. As in this case, most Chinese-Malaysian people believe in Buddhism, but they have a choice in what they want.
Wong Yau Tim (5Sc1)
We all arrived at 8:15am and all the Chinese and Indian students seemed to be stunned by the mosque. We are welcomed with 3 people who are the staff of the Chinese mosque with kindness and hospitality. We were given a description of the mosque that was originally built, and we were shown the beautiful area around the mosque. Female students without tudongs were given scarves to cover with, as a sign of respect when entering the mosque. Afterwards, we Muslim students were allowed to perform two of our prayers. We also took pictures and I took a picture with someone I was interested in. What that, I completed what was a wonderful day.
Mushammad Faiz bin Mohd Famil (5Sc2)
The Chinese Mosque is managed by the President of the Chinese Muslim Association who first gave the idea to build the mosque. From the start, one of the objectives of the mosque was to invite non-muslims nearby to the mosque to learn more about Islam. According to the rules of the mosque, all females had to cover themselves when visiting the inside. Therefore, this was the first time covering my head with a scarf. When we reached inside, there were some Chinese Muslims who invited us and explained the mosque to our group.
Actually, Muslims can play anywhere in the prayer hall. They will pray shoulder to shoulder there. Also, the imam will give a speech at the rostrum when needed in the front of the hall. Females can also pray in this mosque but in other places from males, like downstairs in a closed-off space or upstairs. To my knowledge, the hall can hold about 800 to 1000 people.
Tan Shing Yi (5Sc1)
