KUALA LUMPUR — The construction of Masjid Madani would not be possible at this time if the land dispute on Jalan Munshi Abdullah were taken to court, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories), Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
She questioned why legal action had not been taken earlier if it was truly a viable solution and stressed that pursuing it now would only cause significant delays to the project.
“If we take this to court, the mosque certainly won’t be built anytime soon. It will take a long time,” she said.
“Let’s take a reasonable approach when expressing our views. If legal action could have resolved this, why wasn’t it done earlier? Islam is a religion of wisdom,” she added.
Zaliha’s comments were in response to netizens questioning on her Facebook page why legal channels were not being used in the land dispute involving Masjid Madani.
Earlier today, Jakel Group managing director Datuk Seri Mohamed Faroz Mohamed Jakel revealed that they had initially considered taking legal action against the management of the Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman Temple, which is occupying the company’s land illegally.
However, he said they ultimately decided against it after waiting 11 years for the mosque’s construction and following Dr Zaliha’s advice.
“We waited 11 years and intended to take legal action against our neighbour (Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman Temple), but Dr Zaliha advised against it, saying it would escalate into a major racial issue,” he said.
“She suggested I meet directly with the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim,” he added.
This morning, Anwar officiated the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Masjid Madani.
On March 20, the media reported that discussions regarding the relocation of the Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman Temple, situated on Jakel Group’s land, were progressing harmoniously between the company, temple management, and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
On Tuesday, the temple committee reached an agreement with DBKL to relocate to a new site nearby.
The new site, measuring 4,000 square feet, is located approximately 50 metres from the current temple. — March 27, 2025