KUALA LUMPUR: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah today called on the mosque, as an institution, to continue providing solutions to challenges affecting society, including moral decline and other social ills.
The mosque, he said, had developed out of the cooperation between local authorities, the mosque’s management and society in general, into an institution that played an important role in building and developing Muslim communities throughout the ages.
“The mosque is not just a symbol, it is the catalyst for the success and the future direction of Muslims in this country,” he said, in his royal address at Masjid Negara’s Golden Jubilee, held to celebrate the mosque’s 50th anniversary, here.
After 50 years, he said, the national mosque’s contributions included becoming the symbol of Islam in the country, while its unique combination of Malay-Islamic architecture continues to draw visitors and tourists from all over the world.
“Alhamdulillah, as the decades have passed, Masjid Negara has embodied the image of Islam in a country of peace and success.”
“All of this proves that Masjid Negara’s existence has played a key role in the development of Islam and the catalyst for the harmony enjoyed by all Malaysians,” he said.
He said Malaysia had succeeded in upholding the welfare of Islam in various aspects, including education, the economy, the law and mosque management.
“I am grateful to have experienced the country’s journey through its administration of Islam,” he said.
Present were the Raja Permaisuri Agong, Tuanku Hajah Haminah, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Najib’s wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom.