'99% Muslim Klang's village folks have every right to fume over crematorium built close to mosque'

Focus Malaysia

2 days ago

IN a rare case, a non-Muslim Klang native has stood up in defence of Kampung Raja Uda villagers who are reportedly up in arms over the construction of a four-storey columbarium adjacent to a mosque in their vicinity.
Facebooker Emmanuel Joseph who felt annoyed with racial comments contended that 'people who don't live here may not understand' the actual situation on the ground.
'Until six months ago, I lived in this area, just two streets away from this very mosque. The villager's concerns are not unfounded for the village is 99% Muslim,' observed the self-proclaimed 'Chindian Klang native who is moderately fluent in sarcasm and irony' in a Facebook post.
'The nearest non-Muslim house is just streets away left and right … and they already have two large Chinese temples at the end of the adjacent street. This area is opposite Pandamaran which itself has like a few dozen temples including many large ones.
'So why not put the crematorium or columbarium or whatever there (in Kampung Raja Uda)?'
Emmanuel was commenting on a recent Bernama report that the village folks were even contemplating to submit a protest memorandum to Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah on the matter,
As it is, most of the 5,000 residents in the village oppose the construction of the columbarium on a one-hectare plot of private land given the project had not been discussed with the residents who only became aware of it two weeks ago.
'Many residents are worried that the village area may become polluted by ashes generated from the cremation process, particularly for homes situated less than 10 metres from the site,' village committee chairman Azhar Ibrahim told reporters after participating in a peaceful protest in Port Klang recently.
Delving further, Emmanuel described Kampung Raja Uda as 'relatively tolerant despite the strong PAS presence there'.
'There's even a couple of Hindu shrines just around the nearby Muslim cemetery, co-existing peacefully,' observed the University of London law graduate. 'This particular mosque is newly renovated and a work 25 years in the making.'
Hoping that non-Muslims 'don't make it out to be case of intolerant villagers when it really isn't', Enmanuel added:
If I were still staying there, I wouldn't agree to a burial ground of any sort on this street either.
The house on the left of the mosque is Hindu and prayers are still done there harmoniously.
The house opposite that one is a popular businessman who holds parties now and then with no problems. This mosque is very popular and active in social work, etc and is frequently packed with parking being already tight there.
The entire area around the mosque are hang-outs and tomyam stalls where Malay youth hang out. The end of the street houses a pasar malam that mainly serves a Muslim clientele but they happily host Chinese vegetable sellers and yoyo ice and toys traders, among others.' – June 9, 2025
Main image credit: Bernama