KUALA LUMPUR: A mosque in Malaysia invited a Sikh doctor to deliver a lecture on quitting smoking.
Usually, mosque committees invite "ustazs (religious scholars)" to deliver sermons and religious talks to their congregations during Ramadan. However, Saidina Abu Bakar As-Siddiq Mosque in Bangsar, a residential suburb on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, chose to veer away from this tradition, and invited a Sikh doctor on Friday last, according to New Straits Times.
The name of the doctor is not mentioned in the report.
"Lectures in mosques are nothing out of ordinary, but usually the topics lean on religious values. Last Friday's lecture reminds me of the golden age of Islam where mosques are also repurposed as a palace of knowledge," tweeted Saify Akhtar, an entrepreneur, along with a video.
"I encourage more mosques will do this. Invite more subject matter experts regardless of their religion. This is how we can attract people to go to the masjid. A place of worship and knowledge", he added.