PETALING JAYA: Academic Tajuddin Rasdi says Muslims are allowed to visit other places of worship to expand their knowledge and perspectives.
The UCSI University Islamic architecture professor said visiting houses of worship, such as temples and churches, helps Muslims learn and exchange thoughts, particularly in a multiracial, multi-religious country such as Malaysia.
"Visiting houses of worship can also be part of an official visit, such as the previous King, Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah's visit to pay respects to the late British monarch, Queen Elizabeth ll, at Westminister Abbey in 2022.
"This shows that we can visit if there were events and during other times," said Tajuddin in a YouTube video on Monday (Aug 12).
"I had previously given talks about Islam and issues with temples and churches," added Tajuddin.
He was responding to an issue where the Perak Islamic Religious Department apologised to the public after organising a visit to a Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur last month.
The visit was part of a module to train and improve the participants' confidence in preaching, especially to correct any misunderstanding of Islam, such as Islamophobia.
