MUAR: The owner of the “Muslim-only” launderette here said he was only trying to be a good Muslim.

The 40-year-old owner, who declined to be named, said he set up the launderette from the Muslim point of view to cater to the demand for such services.

“For Muslims, it is not just about clean clothes but cleanliness as a whole. I am just providing an avenue for Muslims to do that,” he said.

He added that he did not expect the issue to be blown out of proportion and become such a sensitive topic. He hoped non-Muslims would understand the Muslim point of view and teachings.

“Muslims include Chinese and Indians as well so the launderette does not racially discriminate,” he said.

He said non-Muslims have a lot of choices and self-service launderettes were available nearby, including one that was some 300m from his outlet.

Meanwhile in Gelang Patah, MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said businesses should not use religious sensitivities and racial differences in their operations as it might lead to a negative domino effect.

“A launderette should be open to all.

“We should be understanding of each other and not use our differences to break the ties in our multi-cultural society,” he said after launching the Alibaba Global Course in Forest City yesterday.

Liow said the launderette’s actions to restrict its customers to a certain religion could start a bad chain reaction.

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