MIRI – The Education Ministry has been urged to allow special lessons to be conducted in schools for students of every religion as a major step towards a truly multireligious Malaysia.
State PKR deputy chairman Senator Abun Sui said every religious belief recognised officially by the Malaysian government should be taught in schools so that students of all religions can learn about their respective faiths.
“The Education Ministry (MoE) had recently said that it will introduce lessons in Imam Al-Nawawi’s 40 Hadith appreciation module in school curriculum for teachers and students of the Islamic faith.
“This idea is a good one if the lessons are meant only for Muslim students,” said Abun, who is also Sarawak Pakatan Harapan (PH) information chief.
“We in Sarawak PKR call on the Education Ministry to also allow students of all other religions to be able to have lessons about their respective faiths.
“Students of the Christian faith, Buddhist faith, Hindu faith and all other religions in our country should be able to have special lessons in special classes conducted by religious authorities of their respective faith.
“In that way, all students, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, will be accorded the right to learn their faith in the school curriculum from certified teachers of their respective faith.
“That will be a major step towards a truly multireligious Malaysia,” he said in a press statement.
Sui said the ideals of Malaysia Madani should mean that all religions be taught in schools by their respective authorities.
These ideals on the rights of every Malaysian of every religion and race are also enshrined under Article 3 and Article 8 of the federal constitution, he added.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek had yesterday said that the module is important to curb radicalism and extremism in the Muslim community, and would provide the real picture of Islam’s universal values and practices.
She assured that the pilot project would only involve Muslim teachers and students in national religious secondary schools and government-aided religious schools.
It will then be expanded to other schools and only classes for Islamic education.
Fadhlina had earlier met with 16 non-governmental organisations representing diverse communities to discuss the module, its implementation, and matters related to national education.
The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism had previously expressed deep concern that the implementation of the module in national schools violates religious freedom as it espouses the complete Islamic system of life.
It said that Islam is the religion of the federation and this refers only to Islamic rituals and ceremonies.
“It does not include Islam as an all-embracing concept as it is normally understood as a comprehensive system of life,” it said.
It cited Article 12(2) of the federal constitution: “Every religious group has the right to establish and maintain institutions for the education of children in its own religion.”
Article 12(3) meanwhile states: “No person shall be required to receive instruction in or take part in any ceremony or act of worship of a religion other than his own”.
“Thus, the 40 Hadith can be taught in Islamic religious schools but in national schools, it may be unconstitutional to do so,” said the council, stressing that the constitution “protects persons, including students, from taking instruction in any religion other than their own.” – The Vibes, August 31, 2023
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