JOHOR BAHRU, June 12 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today called on members of Keluarga Malaysia (Malaysian Family) to adopt the concept of ‘tasamuh’ - an Arabic term meaning ‘tolerance’ or ‘open-mindedness’.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the National Al-Quran Recitation and Memorisation Competition (MTHQK) 1443H/2022, he said this meant that there should be an attitude of acceptance and mutual respect for the various religions and cultures practised in the country.

He said the diversity of cultures and customs in Malaysia was a uniqueness that should be celebrated, thus creating a peaceful and prosperous society.

"Any culture that is not against the Islamic faith can be accepted without any stigma and discrimination,” he said, adding that tasamuh was the main basis of uniting a multi-religious and multi-cultural society.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister said with technological advances, there was no reason for Muslims not to spend time listening to or reading the Quran.

"This is because there are digital al-Quran applications that can be downloaded to devices such as smartphones, tablets or laptops. It can be listened to at anytime and anywhere,” he said.

Also present at the opening ceremony of MTHQK 1443H/2022 were Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Idris Ahmad, Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi and Johor State Secretary Tan Sri Dr Azmi Rohani.

After a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the six-day event which began today features 110 participants.

A total of 29 individuals are taking part in the recitation competition, while 81 have entered the memorisation contest.

The last time Johor hosted the event was in 2012. — Bernama