By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Oct 24: A permit will be given to those who wish to organise a Palestine solidarity gathering at Celebration Square located at the heart of Sarawak Sports Complex in Petra Jaya here.
The Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah noted that a peaceful gathering to show solidarity with the Palestinian people was supposed to take place near the new Masjid India Bandar Kuching (Floating Mosque) last Sunday (Oct 22).
However, the gathering was cancelled at the last minute.
“Probably the permit might have been taken back, or maybe they did not apply for one (for the assembly), I am not certain.
“To me, the Palestine conflict is not a religious issue but it is a struggle to free Palestine. If some parties relate to it as a religious issue just because it is organised near a mosque, we must know that many of those who supported the Palestine’s struggle comprise of non-Muslims too.
“Following this, if they want to organise a rally on solidarity with Palestine, they can try to organise it at the Celebration Square where I am in charge of the Sarawak Sports Complex.
“I will give the permit if they are to organise it at the Celebration Square, but not the Sarawak Stadium because it is currently undergoing a lot of renovation for the upcoming Malaysian Games (Sukma),” he told a press conference held at Baitul Makmur II here today. — DayakDaily
