Acheen Street Mosque opens its doors for cultural harmony and heritage
GEORGE TOWN, June 30 — Over the past several years, the Acheen Street Mosque here has opened its doors to the general public during Ramadan to host buka puasa with non-Muslims.
The historical mosque, located along Acheh Street, also has a sign on its gate welcoming non-Muslims to visit it.
According to mosque committee member Mohd Norhisham Mohd Abdul Kadir, this is a way for them to spread the peaceful teachings of Islam so that non-Muslims can understand the religion better.
“We don’t want people to misunderstand us so our doors are always open to everyone, for them to better understand Islam and the beauty of our religion,” he said.
He said during Ramadan, they will have a harmony iftar by inviting leaders from other communities including priests from the churches in George Town and members from the Chinese kongsi and temples.
He said it is a way to promote harmony among the communities in the heritage city while also encouraging better understanding among different religious groups and cultures.
“It is why we have a signboard that welcomes non-Muslims to visit our mosque,” he said.
He said the mosque is open to visitors as long as it is not during prayer times and visitors are only required to dress appropriately if they want to enter.
He said the mosque is open to visitors as long as it is not during prayer times and visitors are only required to dress appropriately if they want to enter.
The area surrounding the mosque used to be known as the Malay town, and was called the ‘mini Mecca’ in the 19th century when Muslim scholars and pilgrims used to stop there on their way to Mecca for the Haj.
It was a hub for Muslims to gather and it was also a centre of Islamic education that attracted students and religious teachers from across the region.
The mosque also played an important role in spreading Islamic teachings and culture even as Penang grew into a major trading port.
The mosque features unique architectural styles such as a weather vane on top of its minaret to show the direction of the wind.
At that time, the minaret of the mosque stood tall above the houses and served as a beacon for ships.
The minaret itself showcases influences of Yemenis or Egyptians, Chinese pagoda and Mughal buildings while the tiered roof featured Hokkien-style swallowtail ridges that were common in 18th to 19th century mosques throughout the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Java.
Next to the mosque is the mausoleum of Tunku Syed Hussain and his family.
The Acheen Street Mosque will be one of the eight buildings to conduct open house tours as part of the Historic Building Open House programme during heritage celebrations on July 7.
