In reply to Edmund Burke Fan's (EBF) comments in a letter to malaysiakini, 'Don't expect religious equality', the condition of mosques or any other places of worship should not be the point of contention here. The question one must ask is: were these buildings funded by the state?

Many churches and temples are built and maintained by donations raised by the devotees. But in the case of Malaysia, the building and maintenance of mosques are funded by the state from money collected from taxpayers, which I am one.

Can EBF say that the cost of building mosques is only taken from the taxes paid by Muslims? It is only fair that the state does its fair share in financing places of worship belonging to the other religions.