Datuk Gong shrine at hardware store found with the word ‘Allah’, accused of being a risk to racial harmony

A hardware store owner in Perlis, Malaysia, was arrested after a Datuk Gong shrine at his establishment was found bearing the word “Allah”.

For the unacquainted, Datuk Gong is a guardian spirit mainly worshipped by Chinese communities in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.

Sazeli Saad, a representative of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Pertubuhan Bai’hu Malaysia Perlis, who was among those who reported about the incident, said it poses a risk to racial harmony in the country.

“The holy name of Allah cannot be used arbitrarily in a shrine by those outside the Islamic faith,” he said, according to Utusan.

61-year-old hardware store owner arrested