A 130-year-old Hindu temple in Malyasia’s capital is facing the threat of being razed and relocated as the prime land it occupies in the heart of Kuala Lumpur has been sold to textile giant Jakel, which plans to build a mosque on the site.
The temple’s main deity, Dewi Sri Pathra Kaliamma Amma, is being worshipped by devotees for generations.
The Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman Temple was originally built on government land before it was sold to Jakel in 2014. And the intention was clear—the company’s late founder, Mohamed Jakel Ahmad, bought the plot with the plan of building the fourth mosque in the area and gifting it to the Muslim community.

The suggested shifting of the Hindu temple to make way for a mosque has invited public backlash, highlighting long-lasting grievances over religious equity in Malaysia, reports South China Morning Post.
The apprehensions continued unabated without concrete action as the demolition was put on hold pending discussions till the news broke about the groundbreaking ceremony for the new mosque being scheduled for coming Thursday, March 27. The ceremony would be officiated by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Advertisment

Also read: US special envoy Witkoff says Hamas ‘duped’ him as he blames renewed attack in Gaza on militant group

As per reports, Jakel has been in talks with the temple committee since buying the land to relocate the place of worship, and offered to pay for the relocation costs.
In 2021, the company received permission to begin constructing a mosque at the site, but delayed the process “out of respect” for the process of relocating the temple.

Zaid Malek, executive director, Lawyers for Liberty, questioned the rush, saying the discussion between the temple, Jakel, and the city hall was still ongoing.
“Why is Anwar not prepared to give the necessary space and time for that process to be carried out? It is unacceptable that Anwar thinks it is appropriate for a temple to be removed so that a mosque can be built on its
site,” Zaid said.
The same concerns abound social media debates, as calls grow for the proposed mosque—reportedly to be named Masjid Madani after the PM’s “Malaysia Madani” slogan—being built elsewhere to avoid unnecessary conflict.
PM Anwar said last Friday that the mosque would be built only after the temple is relocated.

Also Read | South Korea's Constitutional Court dismisses impeachment of prime minister Han Duck-soo

“The temple is old, and its status has not been approved; it is not legal, but to ensure that our relationship is harmonious, [Jakel] has agreed to channel some assistance while [the city hall] has looked for a replacement land site, so that it does not become a problem,” the PM said, while accusing the lawyers of exploiting the issue to portray it as religious persecution.
“I cannot imagine myself as prime minister demolishing any temple,” Anwar said.

The issue has its roots in the British colonial rule over present-day Malaysia, when Indians were brought in as labourers for the rubber industry and railways and had no access to land ownership.
The state of Selangor, having over 700,000 Malaysian Indians, has 773 temples, all reportedly built without permission.
P Ramasamy, a leader of the ethnic Indian party, Urimai, and former deputy chief minister of Penang, said that the temple stands as a “significant and religious landmark predating Malaysia’s independence. The removal of a long-established Hindu temple for any other purpose is unacceptable, particularly in a nation that prides itself on being multiracial and multireligious.”

Also Read | Israel kills top Hamas official Ismail Barhoum in targeted airstrike at Gaza's Nasser hospital

Meanwhile, some Malay Muslims question the temple’s right to remain on what is now privately owned land and say the landowner should be allowed to fulfil the late Mohamed Jakel’s vision.
Akmal Saleh, firebrand leader of Malay nationalist party Umno, said the temple management had failed to secure the land ownership after many decades.

The temple committee has expressed its preference that the place of worship remain in its current location and said that it can co-exist with any new construction in the vicinity to uphold the values of coexistence and religious freedom in a multicultural society.