A new formula for racial harmony?

LAST week as the final days of Ramadan neared, and after officiating the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Madani Mosque, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim made an unannounced visit to the 130-year-old Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman Hindu temple nearby — the very temple at the heart of a recent national discourse on race, religion, land, and communal rights.

The situation had all the ingredients for a major conflict: plans to construct a mosque on land housing a historic Hindu temple, allegations of religious insensitivity, and a flurry of disinformation across social media.