FORMER prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has stressed that there must be mutual respect and understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims in the country.

He said respecting one another and understanding different cultures is important in a plural society to prevent incidents such as the “Allah” socks controversy from recurring.

“When it comes to religious matters, it’s not just Islam. We need to respect the other religions,” the Bera MP said in an interview with FMT.

“We (Muslims) can’t expect the others (non-Muslims) to respect us. We must respect them too and put ourselves in their shoes sometimes.”

According to Ismail Sabri, if the socks that were sold at KK Mart had carried the images of a deity or other Gods, non-Muslims would not have compromised on such matters either.

“We need to tread carefully when it comes to religious issues,” he noted.

The controversy arose after photographs of the socks, sold at KK Mart’s Bandar Sunway store in Selangor, appeared on social media, earning the ire of the Muslim community and sparking calls for a boycott.

The company subsequently apologised while KK Mart’s founder and director claimed trial to wounding religious feelings. Three officers from Xin Jian Chang Sdn Bhd, the Batu Pahat-based vendor which supplied KK Mart with the socks, were also charged.

The episode has seen three KK Mart outlets attacked with petrol bombs.

On this, Ismail Sabri urged the government to keep tabs on the matter to prevent copycat attacks in the future. - April 3, 2024

https://focusmalaysia.my/respect-non-muslims-if-you-want-them-to-respect-you-ismail-sabri-tells-muslims/