Friday, May 25, 2012

"Taliban R Us": Architectural aspect of Places of Worship


Kelantan: Islamic designs a must KOTA BARU:

A controversy is brewing over the proposal for the construction of a Buddhist building here after the PAS-led state government ruled that new buildings should include Islamic designs to reflect the state capital’s status as an Islamic city. State Local Government, Culture, Arts and Tourism committee chairman Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan said developers must incorporate some Islamic elements in their plans or the proposals would be rejected.

“We will ensure development will be based on Islamic principles and features,” he told a press conference here yesterday. He claimed the ruling was well-accepted by the majority of developers, including non-Muslim developers. “I do not see it as an issue or something that could cause religious tension, as it only involves architecture and design. “They have accepted the new ruling well,” he said. Takiyuddin was commenting on an appeal by the Kelantan Buddhist Association for the state government to approve its building, to be constructed with Chinese features at Jalan Sultan Zainal Abidin here.

It is understood that the association had been told that its building design should have dome-shaped motifs, which have created a controversy in the Chinese media. In an immediate reaction, Kota Baru MCA division chief Tan Ken Ten slammed the directive, which he said was an infringement of the rights of non-Muslims in the state. “The ruling is an extreme attempt to impose one’s beliefs into other people’s culture or religious beliefs. “The PAS government must be mindful that Malaysia is a multi-cultural and multi-religious society that respects the differences of each community. It should appreciate this diversity which makes this country unique,” Tan added. State MCA Youth chief Gan Han Chuan said the Kelantan government was showing disrespect towards the non-Muslims with its new policy. “With the new directive, PAS is trying to create discord by destroying the harmonious relations between the communities that had been built by the Barisan Nasional over the years,” he added. “One can only wonder what type of archaic policies PAS will introduce if Pakatan Rakyat manages to take over the Federal Government,” Gan said.(here)

Compare that to this

RANTAU PANJANG:The Kelantan Pas government has admitted having built only one mosque in the state, the Sultan Ismail Petra Golden Jubilee Mosque, from its own funds during its 21-year rule in Kelantan. State Economic Planning, Finance and Welfare Committee deputy chairman, Abdul Fatah Harun said all the other mosques in Kelantan had been built by the federal government. "The Golden Jubilee Mosque, better known as the Chinese Mosque, was built with state government funding, without a single sen coming from the federal government," he told Bernama, here, today. As for mosques in the other mukim (sub-districts), he said the state government was only responsible for giving allocations to carry out repairs and renovations. Abdul Fatah was responding to the state opposition's (Barisan Nasional) claim that the Pas government had not built even one mosque since ruling Kelantan for over 20 years. They had been built by the federal government or the BN government that ruled Kelantan from 1978 to 1990. Abdul Fatah said construction of the RM9.5 million Golden Jubilee Mosque began in 2005 and was completed in 2009. Its building was inspired by Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat after his visit to Beijing, China. - Source here 
Wanna know how it looks like ?





And what is Islamic Elements in Architectural Design care to explain?

What next an Islamic Looking Church with the Words "Allah" in-front of it?


 Lu ape cita with all this fascination with Domes?

The Basillica of Our Lady Lichen in Poland
Like this OK Takiyudin?

Or how bout this one (here) Bole dapat fast track approval?


Minds are like parachutes; they work best when open. -Lord Thomas Dewer