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©The Sun (Used by permission)

The existence of places of worship of different faiths so close to each other in George Town, Penang shows that religion was no barrier to harmony among our past generations. Why should we let it divide us today?

INNER-CITY George Town in Penang provides us today with a glimpse of how multicultural this land was long before we gained independence, and carved out our borders as the Malaysia we know today.

Penang’s history is a microcosm of many of the other trading ports of Malaya; a history that has shaped who we are as a people.

What is obvious from the various houses of worship still standing in George Town – especially along Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling – was that historically, there were rich and varied interactions between communities of different origins, cultural traditions and faiths.

From the proximity of these houses of worship, it is clear that there wasn’t only religious tolerance, but there was also a healthy respect for each community’s beliefs and right to worship.

Indeed, this is a part of our history that is worth remembering and celebrating even as Malaysia moves forward as a modern nation state.

Cultural encounter

Penang society was shaped by waves of migration. Traders, workers and adventurers from the Malay kingdoms, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, China, India, Sri Lanka, Europe, the Middle East and Japan came to settle. With a history of more than 200 years of ethnic and religious co-existence, Penang demonstrates exchanges between these communities that go beyond mere tolerance of diversity.

Freedom of worship

The policy of religious freedom with characterised British rule in Malaya was first formulated in Penang. Located midway between India and China, the port of Penang was established by Captain Francis Light in 1786 as a trading post for the East India Company. As the new settlement attracted 10,000 settlers of all creeds and nations, Light proposed that “each race has a right to preserve its civil and religious peculiarities”.

Today, Islam is Malaysia’s official religion but freedom of worship is guaranteed by the Federal Constitution.

A shared heritage Penang has preserved the rich legacies of its Islamic, Buddhist,
Confucian, Taoist, Hindu, Sikh and Christian communities. These legacies can be seen in Penang’s culture, architecture and contemporary religious practices. The bygone diaspora communities of Armenians and Jews are remembered in historic sites and street names.

Today, the city of George Town, capital of Penang, is blessed with more than 100 spiritual sites built by consecutive waves of migrants and sojourners. Although the port settlement has developed into a modern city, George Town remains the spiritual heartland for diverse communities whose ancestors settled in Penang before moving on to other parts of Malaysia, Southeast Asia and the world.

Early George Town consists of a grid of streets bounded by Light Street, Beach Street, Chulia Street and Pitt Street. During the term of Lieutenant-Governor Sir George Leith (1801-1803), some of the religious institutions along Pitt Street were issued land titles.

THE STREET OF HARMONY: Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling (formerly Pitt Street).

There is a special place in Penang, dubbed the “Street of Harmony”. Here, houses of worship representing various world religions are lined up along an axis.

The place illustrates a history of peaceful religious co-existence and cultural exchange among the followers of the great faiths of Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, as well as the Chinese religion, which combines Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism.
Along this street lies the following houses of worship:

1.Church of the Assumption (Lebuh Farquhar)

The oldest Catholic church in Penang, formed in 1786 by the Eurasians of southern Thailand and Kedah. The church building dates from 1860. The church was elevated to the Cathedral of the Diocese of Penang in 1955.

2. St. George’s Church (Lebuh Farquhar)

The oldest Anglican Church in Southeast Asia. The building dates from 1818 and was designed by Captain Robert Smith of Madras Engineers, who painted the famous early views of Penang. The Anglicans follow the traditions developed by the Church of England.

3. Kuan Yin Temple (Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling)

The Kuan Yin Temple is dedicated to th Goddess of Mercy, an incarnation of the Boddhisatva Avaloekiteshvera. On the first and 15th of each lunar month, devotees observe a vegetarian diet and offer joss-sticks at the temple which hosts Chinese opera and puppet shows during the annual feast days on the 19th day of the second, sixth and ninth months of the lunar calendar.

4. Sri Maha Mariamman Temple (Lebuh Queen)

This public temple, dedicated to the Hindu goddess Sri Maha Mariamman, was built in 1833. Historically, it catered to the Tamil community of traders and stevedores originating from South India. The temple is the focus of two annual festivals, Thaipusam in January/February and Chitraparuam in April/May.

5. Teochew Temple (Lebuh Chulia)

The Penang Teochew Association (Hang Kang Kah Meow) was built in 1870 by the Chinese originating from Teochew (Chaozhou), in southern China. It is a temple dedicated to the Teochew community’s patron deity and ancestors. Teochew opera and music are occasionally performed here.

Durga Shrine (8, Lebuh Penang)

The private shrine dedicated to the Hindu goddess Durga is managed by a Gujarati family and caters to the North Indian Hindu community. Housed in a Straits Chinese townhouse, it is the centre of the 10-day Navarithri festival held annually in October/
November.

Nagore Shrine (Lebuh Chulia)

This Al-Qadriyah Sufi Shrine is dedicated to the 13th century saint of Nagore who is buried in Tamilnadu, South India. In the side alcove is an Indian Muslim maker of songkok or Muslim headgear.

6. Kapitan Keling Mosque (Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling)

The mosque was founded by Kapitan Keling Cauder Mohudeen, leader of the Tamil Muslim community, on trust lands endowed by the East India Company in 1801. The mosque parishioners are Sunni Muslims, of both Shafie and Hanafi schools. Sermons are conducted in Malay and Tamil. The present Moghul revival look, circa 1910, was designed by the German Eurasian architect, Henry Alfred Neubronner.

7. Penang Islamic Museum (128, Lebuh Armenian)

This museum showcases the history of Muslims in Penang. It is housed in a heritage bungalow known as the Syed Alatas Mansion. Syed Mohamed Alatas stayed here with his first wife, a Malay royal, while his second wife was the daughter of Khoo Tiang Poh, a Straits Chinese pepper merchant and head of Khoo clan.

8. Yap Kongsi (Lebuh Armenian)

The Yap clan hails from Hokkien (Fujian province in southern China and the temple is dedicated to the clan’s ancestors and patron deities. Next to the temple is the ancestral hall, dating from 1924, designed by the Straits Chinese architect Chew Eng Eam.

9. Penang Heritage Centre (116 and 118, Lebuh Acheh)

This corner building was formerly the medical clinic of Dr Ong Huck Chye, a Municipal Commissioner and prominent Straits Chinese leader in the 1930s. Today, it is the premise of the Penang Heritage Centre, established by the state government to promote heritage awareness and activities.

Acheen Street Mosque (Lebuh Acheh)

Locally called “Masjid Melayu Lebuh Acheh” or “Malay Mosque”, the parishioners follow the Shafie school and sermons are conducted in Malay. The mosque and trust lands were endowed in 1808 by Tengku Syed Hussain Al-Idid, who became the Sultan of Aceh. Sheikh Omar Basheer, the famous 19th century Naqshabandi Sufi leader, lived at 69, Lebuh Aceh in the mosque compound.

Khoo Kongsi (Medan Cannon)

The Khoo clan from Hokkien (Fujian province in southern China and this 1906 temple is dedicated to the clan’s ancestors and patron deities. Established in 1851, the clanhouse complex is reputed to be the most magnificent in Southeast Asia. It comprises a temple, theatre stage, association building, museum and former clan dwellings all sited around a temple square.

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