SHAH ALAM, Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah has expressed his desire that Malays, especially in Selangor, to continue on the path of unity and to strengthen harmony in the multiracial and multireligious society in the state. The Sultan was also moved when seeing the unity, cooperation and concern displayed by Malays, stating that the spirt of unity and cooperation fostered needed to be defended and worked on to ensure a more developed and progressive Selangor. 'Refrain from having prejudice towards one another and let us always foster an attitude of tolerance to guarantee the harmony of social life in the state of Selangor. 'A country where its people are not united but divided will never achieve the progress and successes it hopes for,' His Royal Highness said. during a breaking fast function at Damansara Perdana Mosque near here today. Tengku Permaisuri Selangor Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin and Raja Muda Selangor Tengku Amir Shah also graced the function. Sultan Sharafuddin also said t hat political leaders had the role of uniting the people and not making situations worse by raising issues that could lead to disunity among the people, adding that politicians needed to think of the best ways of uniting the people, including using social media platforms to foster mutual respect and understanding to ensure a harmonious society in the country. 'I always hope that Malay Muslims in my state refrain from bad values and attitudes forbidden by Islam, including lying, slandering and cursing. 'I do not want such bad behaviour to spread, especially on social media,' the Sultan said, voicing his concern that even those who are educated have begun showing such behaviour, and used religion, their positions and popularity to curry support even at the expense of causing disunity among Muslims. 'I have found that lately, many who call themselves religious scholars have tried to influence the public through opinions and views touching on religious issues, but actually have their hidden personal agendas, l ike the Malay proverb 'ada udang di sebalik batu' in every action they take. 'Therefore, I would like to advise all Muslims to always be cautious and wise in assessing who are the true 'ulama' and who only uses religion for their personal interests,' His Royal Highness said. Sultan Sharafuddin had earlier bestowed the name Damansara Perdana Mosque on the RM15 million mosque, which can accommodate 3,200 congregants, and presented Hari Raya aid to 172 orphans from the Petaling district before performing Maghrib, Isyak and Tarawih prayers together with other guests. Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, state Islamic and Cultural Innovation Committee chairman Dr Mohammad Fahmi Ngah, Selangor Islamic Religious Council chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof and Selangor Islamic Religious Department director Dato' Mohd Shahzihan Ahmad also attended the function. Source: BERNAMA News Agency
