PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called on ‘guru pondok’—teachers from traditional Islamic schools across Malaysia—to embrace the field of artificial intelligence (AI) in order to remain relevant and resilient in the face of modern technological challenges.
Speaking at the Ijtima' Madani Ulama dan Guru Pondok Kelantan on Saturday, Anwar warned that without a command of emerging technologies such as AI,‘pondok scholars risk falling behind and becoming vulnerable to the growing dominance of Western technological narratives.
“If pondok teachers fail to master this new technology, they will be left behind and defeated by the latest wave of digital assaults,” he said.
While advocating for technological literacy among religious educators, Anwar clarified that this should not come at the expense of traditional methods.
“Our traditional method of reading classical texts will not be disrupted. That practice will continue. However, we must now complement it with the demands of the age, particularly in the field of AI,” he said.
“Without the involvement of our pondok teachers, the development of AI will remain a version shaped solely by the United States and the West.”
Also present at the event were Kelantan Chief Minister Datuk Mohd Nassuruddin Daud and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Religious Affairs, Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar.
During the gathering, the Prime Minister also announced a financial contribution of RM1.03 million to pondok institutions participating in UMRAN 2025.
Anwar further emphasised the need to rebuild intellectual and historical defences within the Muslim world to resist secular influence.
“Last month, I summoned officials from the Ministry of Finance to explore how we might select and support pondok schools as a renewed line of defence,” he said. “That is how we can give true meaning to the Madani framework.” - August 9, 2025
