Philippine Embassy In Malaysia Inaugurates Muslim Prayer Room

KUALA LUMPUR, April 3 (Bernama) -- The Philippine Embassy in Malaysia on Monday created history as the first non-Muslim majority country to build a Muslim prayer room (surau). Since the embassy was set up in 1959, this was the first time that the surau was being built at the embassy ground. Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia, J.Eduardo Malaya (right) said the construction of the surau was the embassy's effort to address the needs of its employees, to promote inclusiveness and understanding among followers of different faiths. "We have Muslim personnel both from the Philippines as well as Malaysians working at the embassy, and one of the things I did since five years ago was to try and see if the requirement of our Muslim personnel in doing the prayer could be addressed. "So our (embassy's) earlier plan was to make a certain part of our conference room into a mini prayer area. I placed a Kiblat mark and a prayer mat," he told Bernama at the Philippine Embassy's Inauguration of the Muslim Prayer Room, at the embassy, here Monday. Also present at the ceremony was Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) chairman, Azman Ujang (left) as a guest of honour. Malaya, who concludes his five-and-a-half year diplomatic stint today said he discussed with the Filipino Muslim community in Malaysia and they agreed to have the formal surau that was inaugurated today. He said the surau also symbolised the country's readiness to host Muslim tourists. There was also an increasing number of businesses and offices in the Philippines now that had Muslim prayer areas, he said. "There are some five million Muslim Fillipinos, most of whom reside in the southern Philippines," he said. (photoBERNAMA) -- BERNAMA