This, he said, was because the replica was not used or meant for religious purposes, The Star reported.

“That is merely his opinion, it doesn’t merit any comment,” he said, referring to Perak Deputy Mufti Zamri Hashim, who last week wrote that Islam forbade full-bodied statues of living creatures, such as humans or animals.

“As we all know, we do not use the statue for prayers,” he was quoted as saying by the English daily.

Zamri had called for the statue to be demolished. His view was supported by Perak Mufti Harussani Zakaria, who went further by labelling even the Tugu Negara (National Monument) as “haram”.

Kedah Aman Makmur Tourism Chief Executive Officer Zulkifli Mohamad, however, sided with Nazri, saying the eagle statue was merely Langkawi’s icon and, hence, did not need to be demolished.

“If we go to any tourist destination, there is an icon for each place, like the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

“When people talk about Langkawi, they think about the eagle. I think the intention is only for branding and tourism,” he told the daily.

Kedah MATTA Chairman Abd Rashid Hashim said the call to demolish the replica was “illogical”, noting that Langkawi was believed to have its name derived from the Malay word for eagle, helang.

“Such iconic statues are not just found in Langkawi only, but also in other places.

“If we demolish the eagle, authorities might have to demolish the cat statues in Kuching and the National Monument in Kuala Lumpur.”

The statue of the eagle, which sits on Dataran Lang at the Kuah waterfront, is a symbol of Langkawi. Its status under Islamic law was raised in the media following Zamri’s remark.

Speaking to Sinar Harian last week, Kedah State Executive Councillor Mohd Rawi Abd Hamid, who is in charge of religious affairs, suggested the mufti of each state make their own decisions “in line with what fits each state and find a solution”.

He pointed out that Terengganu had a turtle replica, while Kuching had cat replicas.