Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia - The prime minister yesterday hailed both the Islamic Civilisation theme park and the crystal
At the launch of the theme park at Pulau Wan Man here last night, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the theme park was the best way to reflect the principles of Islam Hadhari.
"Islam Hadhari has universal values that should not alienate non-Muslims. It is not a new sect or a new religion, but principles which guide and benefit all Malaysians.
"The theme park also has a seminar hall that can be used as a venue to promote religious understanding and encourage tolerance in multi-faith Malaysia," he said, adding that the park symbolised the goodness related to Islam.
Abdullah said although the park was made up of miniatures, it was enough to reflect the beauty and architecture of the Islamic era.
"To my knowledge, both the theme park and crystal mosque are the first of their kinds in the world. This will augur well for the tourism industry here."
Abdullah toured the replicas at the theme park and visited the exhibition at the convention centre.
The 23-hectare, RM250 million theme park, features replicas of 21 mosques, including the famed Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, the Taj Mahal in India, the Al-Hambra in Spain, the Kaylan Tower in Uzbekistan and the Kudus Minar in Indonesia.
The crystal mosque, located in the theme park, will be officiated by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin on Friday.