Name Rodziah Ismail | Role Politician | |
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9. Interview Rodziah Ismail
Rodziah Ismail (born 8 July 1964) is a Malaysian politician and the Selangor State Assemblywoman representing Batu Tiga. She is a state executive councillor with the Welfare, Women's Affairs, Science, Technology and Innovation portfolio. Rodziah is a member of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, part of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition government in Selangor.
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Cow-head protest
On 28 August 2009, a group of Malaysian Muslims staged a protest against the proposal that a Hindu shrine be relocated to a predominantly Muslim neighborhood. The 50 or so protestors marched from a mosque to the Selangor state government headquarters at the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Building with the head of a cow – an animal deemed sacred in Hinduism – and "stomped on the head and spat on it before leaving the site". The protest was caught on video by the popular Malaysian news online portal Malaysiakini.
Malaysia’s Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein defended the cow head protests, arguing that building a Hindu shrine is unsuitable because the neighborhood is Muslim, and that “the residents only wanted their voices to be heard [and] it was unfortunate that 'the publicity they received was negative because it was linked with racial and religious sentiments.'"
Rodziah was directly involved in this conflict as the residential area involved was within her constituency and as state executive councillor, the relocation of the temple was under her purview. She was called names and insulted for her involvement. Thankfully she stuck to her beliefs in freedom of worship and justice and the temple will be relocated and constructed as originally planned.