Malaysia is known as a multiracial country where citizens respect one another equally, regardless of cultural or religious beliefs.
However, for one Malaysian, he was left baffled after discovering that his salary had been deducted simply because he performed his obligatory Friday prayers as a Muslim man.
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In a post on Threads, the man shared that he noticed the pay cut in his September payslip.
Image Credit: eCentral
When he inquired, the company's HR later told him that Friday prayers are indeed deducted as they count as taking ‘time off’. However, the employee’s salary would not be deducted if he worked extra hours to make up for the time.
“I was stunned when I realised my salary was cut for going to Friday prayers. It’s 2025. I thought all companies in Johor followed the guidelines provided by the Department of Labour (JTK)."
"Turns out, companies like these still exist. Last month (September), I only had two Fridays. This month (October), I’ll have five Fridays,” he wrote.
While the man didn’t reveal the exact amount of the deduction, he replied to a comment saying the amount deducted was equivalent to about three weeks’ worth of fuel for a Perodua Bezza.
Unsurprisingly, the post quickly gained attention online, with many social media users urging him to report the issue.
“Since when does going out for Friday prayers result in an employee getting their salary deducted?”
Image Credit: Threads
“It’s like you’re working abroad. Malaysia is a country where the majority of citizens are Muslim. How could your company not understand and respect that?”
The man said he had tried reaching out to JTK for clarification, but his calls went unanswered. Still, he refused to give up and kept pushing HR to escalate the issue to the company’s higher-ups.
Meanwhile, it seems this issue is not an isolated case, as other Malaysians have also shared similar experiences.
One user commented, “My husband had the same experience, his salary was deducted for going to Friday prayers. During the fasting season, his pay would get cut for going home an hour earlier. During office hours, they only allowed workers to use the aircond for a designated period. The factory he worked at was responsible for exporting goods to Israel through Singapore. He only lasted 2–3 months there.”
Image Credit: Threads
“A few months ago, I had an interview with a company in Selangor. One of the reasons I rejected the job was because they didn’t allow me to pray. I’m a female, and there was a Malay male worker there. The boss told me, ‘Why should I let you pray when my male worker doesn’t pray?’ I had prayed that I would get a job offer, but when this happened, I couldn’t accept it,” said another user.
Image Credit: Threads
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