UNIVERSITI Teknologi Mara (UiTM) has denied claims that non-Muslim students were forced to take part in an Islamic programme during its Identity and Spirituality Camp Series 20 on Jan 11, reported Bernama.
In a statement today, the university said that the programme, held at Masjid Al-Wathiqu Billah Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, UiTM Shah Alam, involved 2,447 first-semester students, including 34 non-Muslim students from the Kesatria Negara 1, Kembara 1, and Pancaragam 1 co-curricular courses.
“The carefully planned activities, which focused on character, intellectual, and spiritual development, reflect UiTM’s commitment to producing well-rounded students with integrity who are ready to contribute to society,” it said.
According to UiTM, Muslim students participated in a lecture on funeral management in the mosque’s main hall, while non-Muslim students attended a talk on social ethics, which was held at 2.30 pm at Dewan Muktamar.
“The social ethics talk aimed to provide an understanding of ethical values in social settings, such as at home, in the workplace, and public spaces. After the talk, non-Muslim students were treated to afternoon tea before being allowed to return home,” said the statement.
UiTM said that the decision to use the mosque and Dewan Muktamar (located within the mosque) as venues was made to facilitate management, save time and logistical resources, and ensure that participants could engage in the activities without disruptions.
“However, UiTM takes the confusion caused by communication issues and the programme’s poster seriously. The co-curricular centre will review the procedures for organising the programme to ensure more efficient implementation in the future.
“Improvements that will be made include being more careful in providing information and distributing promotional materials to avoid misunderstandings.
“UiTM remains committed to ensuring that co-curricular activities uphold the principles of inclusivity and professionalism while contributing to the development of competitive students with high integrity,” said the statement.
Earlier, native-rights groups in East Malaysia said they were alarmed over claims that UiTM had allegedly forced a group of non-Muslim Bumiputera students from Sarawak and Sabah to attend a compulsory Islamic study course.
The East Malaysian non-governmental organisations called for an investigation to be carried out to determine the truth of the allegations.
They called on the Ministry of Higher Education to investigate and explain the matter to the public.
“Let us be clear ... Sabah and Sarawak joined Malaysia under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) with the assurance that our religious and cultural rights would be respected,” they said in a statement. - January 14, 2025
