THE Imam Nawawi’s 40 Hadith module, which will be introduced at national religious secondary schools and government-aided religious schools, will help in dealing with radicalism and extremism.

The Education Minister’s Office in a statement said the Education Ministry (MOE) is committed to the initiative as it will provide a true representation of Islamic values and their application in Malaysia’s plural society.

The MOE reiterated the initiative only involves Muslim teachers and students, and will be expanded to other schools only for the Islamic Education subject.

It said Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek hosted a meeting with 16 civil society groups representing various segments of society yesterday to discuss the initiative and other matters related to the country’s education.

“Such sessions will be implemented from time to time to convey accurate information about the MOE’s initiatives.

“The space for dialogues is wide open in line with one of the MOE’s main principles, which is to empower communication between the ministry and stakeholders,” said the statement.

The 16 groups are as follows:

1. Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia

2. Pertubuhan Ikram Malaysia

3. Federation of Taoist Associations Malaysia

4. Christian Federation of Malaysia

5. Malaysian Buddhist Association

6. Malaysia Hindu Sangam

7. Malaysian Gurdwaras Council

8. United Chinese School Committees’ Association of Malaysia

9. Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall

10. Tamil Foundation

11. Persatuan Aliran Kesedaran Negara

12. Allied Coordinating Committee of Islamic NGO

13. Friendship Group for Inter-religious Service

14. United Chinese Teachers’ Association of Malaysia

15. Centre for Malaysian Chinese Studies

16. LLG Cultural Development Centre – Bernama, August 30, 2023.