THE Church of our Lady Lourdes in Klang has denied that the Jom Ziarah programme which was scheduled to be held tomorrow was to proselytise Muslim youth.

Parish priest Reverend Father Gregory Chan told The Malaysian Insight that the church has been receiving visitors and pilgrims from all over the world for many years and is also listed as a Heritage site by the Selangor state government

“We have been receiving visitors, both Christians and non-Christians for many years. Even Muslims have visited our church. It’s our culture and our hospitality not to turn anyone away.

“Our purpose in receiving visitors is not to convert them. Rather, we welcome them because of our hospitality, muhibbah (togetherness), peace and friendship,” said Chan.

The Church of Our Lady Lourdes is involved in the Jom Ziarah programme, initiated by Impact Malaysia, an agency under the Youth and Sports Ministry.

The event, which was to be held tomorrow, has been cancelled after it drew flak from Islamic authorities and outcry from Muslim groups.

Chan said under the programme, youth groups have already visited a mosque and a Gurdwara Sahib but those two visits did not generate any controversy.

“However, when it came to the Catholic Church, police reports were lodged and the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes is mentioned.

“In all three advertisements under the programme, the same questions were asked. “Never entered a mosque before? Curious about Islam? Want to learn similarities and differences between religions? Jom Ziarah Masjid.

“I believe this matter has been taken out of context,” said Chan who himself lodged a police report against accusations of proselytising.

Bersatu man Badrul Hisham Shaharin was named in the police report seen by The Malaysian Insight after a viral Tik Tok video of the ex-PKR man showed him mentioning the church’s name with activities of proselytising.

Impact Malaysia chief executive officer Ahmed Faris Amir said the visits under the programme were cancelled following a directive from Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.

“The programme isn’t happening today following Hannah Yeoh’s decision that youth unity programmes will no longer be implemented by her ministry but instead by other relevant ministries and departments,” he told Berita Harian.

PAS was the first to raise concerns, saying Muslim youth were allowed to visit a church under the programme.

Its secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said the programme could be problematic if it was not able to achieve its goal, which is to create better understanding between people of different religious beliefs.  

In the Dewan Rakyat earlier this week, Yeoh said the initiative was conducted by Impact Integrated, an agency affiliated with her ministry, to visit places of worship, but Muslim youth were not included.

She said this was contrary to allegations on social media and chat groups that she was using such programmes to expose Muslim youth to Christianity.  

Following Yeoh’s explanation in the Dewan Rakyat, Bersatu member Badrul Hisham Shaharin lodged a police report against the Segambut MP for allegedly proselytising Muslim youth through a programme initiated by a company affiliated with her ministry. – March 18, 2023.