Religious freedom and security can go hand in hand, Kota Kinabalu MP says of Israel Houghton concert

Kota Kinabalu MP, Datuk Chan Foong Hin, emphasized the importance of balancing religious freedom and public security in deciding on the Israel Houghton gospel concert in Sabah.

He advocates for the event's approval if the organizers comply with necessary laws and security measures, stressing that the region's tradition of religious harmony should not be compromised by external political influences.

Chan underlined that objections or potential protests should not undermine lawful religious activities, asserting that diversity is a significant strength in Sabah's social fabric.

He called for decisions to be free from political pressure, focusing instead on established requirements.

KOTA KINABALU, Oct 5 — Sabah can protect freedom of religion while safeguarding public security when deciding on the scheduled Israel Houghton gospel concert here, said Datuk Chan Foong Hin.

The Kota Kinabalu MP said a lawful religious event should be allowed to proceed.

“I urge the Sabah government to apply one simple principle when considering the organisers’ pending event application.

“A lawful religious event should be allowed to proceed, provided the organisers comply with the relevant laws, regulations, and reasonable security requirements,” he said in a statement.

Chan said genuine security concerns should be assessed professionally through appropriate measures, adding that objections or the possibility of protests should not automatically prevent another community from exercising its lawful religious activities.

He said Sabah’s longstanding tradition of religious diversity and coexistence should be protected.

“Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, and followers of other faiths have lived peacefully together for generations. This is part of the character and strength of Sabah that we must continue to protect,” he said.

Chan also stressed that supporting the Christian community’s right to organise and attend a gospel concert did not amount to endorsing the political views of the performer.

“Disagreement with an artiste’s political views should not, on its own, become grounds for curtailing the religious rights of Sabahans,” he said.

Chan said once the application is formally submitted, it should be assessed objectively based on established requirements rather than political pressure from either side.

If necessary, authorities should set out clear requirements covering safety, crowd management, and other security conditions for the organiser to fulfil, he said.

“Sabah should not have to choose between protecting religious freedom and public security. We can protect both,” Chan said.

He urged the authorities to take Sabah’s unique social fabric and long-standing tradition of religious harmony into account when making decisions involving religious activities.

“We should be very careful about importing the increasingly divisive religious and political discourse elsewhere into Sabah. Our diversity has never been our weakness. It is one of Sabah’s greatest strengths. Let us preserve it,” he added.

Houghton is scheduled to perform here on Oct 25 as part of the Israel & New Breed gospel ‘Till the Whole World Knows’ Tour with other stops in the region being Jakarta (Oct 15), Hong Kong (Oct 19), Bangkok (Oct 23), Singapore (Oct 27), as well as the Philippines: Cebu (Oct 29) and Manila (Oct 31). — The Borneo Post

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亚庇国会议员拿督陈峰兴强调，在决定是否在沙巴举办以色列·霍顿福音音乐会时，必须平衡宗教自由和公共安全。

他主张，如果组织者遵守必要的法律和安全措施，就应该批准该活动，并强调该地区的宗教和谐传统不应受到外部政治影响的损害。

陈强调，反对意见或潜在的抗议活动不应破坏合法的宗教活动，并断言多样性是沙巴社会结构的重要优势。

他呼吁决策应不受政治压力影响，而应以既定要求为依据。

哥打基纳巴卢，10月5日讯——拿督陈丰兴表示，沙巴在决定是否在此举办以色列·霍顿福音音乐会时，既可以保护宗教自由，又可以维护公共安全。

亚庇国会议员表示，合法的宗教活动应该被允许进行。

“我敦促沙巴州政府在考虑主办方待决的活动申请时，遵循一个简单的原则。

他在一份声明中表示：“只要组织者遵守相关法律、法规和合理的安全要求，就应该允许合法的宗教活动进行。”

陈表示，真正的安全担忧应该通过适当的措施进行专业评估，并补充说，反对意见或可能发生的抗议活动不应自动阻止其他群体开展其合法的宗教活动。

他表示，沙巴长期以来宗教多元化和共存的传统应该得到保护。

他说：“穆斯林、基督徒、佛教徒和其他信仰的信徒世世代代和平共处。这是沙巴的特色和力量所在，我们必须继续保护它。”

陈女士还强调，支持基督教社群组织和参加福音音乐会的权利并不等同于认可表演者的政治观点。

他说：“仅仅因为不同意艺人的政治观点，就不应该成为限制沙巴人民宗教权利的理由。”

陈先生表示，一旦申请正式提交，就应该根据既定要求进行客观评估，而不是受到任何一方的政治压力。

他表示，如有必要，有关部门应制定明确的要求，涵盖安全、人群管理和其他安保条件，供组织者满足。

“沙巴不应该被迫在保护宗教自由和公共安全之间做出选择。我们可以两者兼顾，”陈先生说。

他敦促当局在制定涉及宗教活动的决定时，要考虑到沙巴独特的社会结构和悠久的宗教和谐传统。

“我们应该非常谨慎地将其他地方日益分裂的宗教和政治论调引入沙巴。我们的多元化从来都不是我们的弱点，而是沙巴最大的优势之一。让我们保护它，”他补充道。

霍顿将于10月25日在此演出，作为以色列与新世代福音音乐团“直到全世界都知道”巡回演唱会的一部分。此次巡演在该地区的其他站点包括雅加达（10月15日）、香港（10月19日）、曼谷（10月23日）、新加坡（10月27日），以及菲律宾的宿务（10月29日）和马尼拉（10月31日）。——《婆罗洲邮报》

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