THE Penang government was urged to enact a state law to make it illegal to proselytise to Muslims.

Yusni Mat Piah (Penaga-PAS) said the state should do it now to curb incidents such as the distribution of Bibles to Muslims and the display of a giant “cross” on an apartment building.

“Last year, we saw Bibles distributed outside the Bukit Mertajam High School. Then, Bibles were put in letterboxes in a residential area in Penaga. After that, we had the issue of the giant cross.

“These cases have made Muslims feel uneasy. The freedom to practise one’s own religion does not mean people can propagate their faiths to Muslims.

“The state has the power to enact a law that prohibits this. Penang is one of four states that have yet to enact such a law,” he told the state legislative assembly this evening.

“This enactment is necessary to face possible threats to Islam. It will be good for all and will safeguard our harmony,” the sole PAS assemblyman in Penang said.

Last November in the Dewan Rakyat, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa said almost all the states have laws to curb the teachings of Shia and other religions to Muslims.

 Only Penang, the Federal Territories, Sabah and Sarawak have not introduced such an enactment, he said.

Matters of Islam are state jurisdiction.

Earlier, Yusni also proposed that hotels in Penang should be shariah-complaint and friendly to Muslim guests.

He said the hotels could designate some floors as Muslim-friendly.

He told backbenchers a shariah-compliant hotel would have halal food and a large surau and would not serve alcohol and hold live band performances. The staff, he said, would be fully covered up to hide their “aurat” (intimate parts) – April 30, 2019.