THE government must allow non-Muslim national school students to learn about their faiths, said Sarawak PKR deputy chairman Abun Sui Anyit.

“Students of Christian, Buddhist, Hindu and all other faiths in our country should be able to have special lessons in special classes conducted by religious authorities of their respective faiths.

“In that way, all students, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, will be accorded the right to learn about their religions in the school curriculum from certified teachers.

“That will be a major step towards a truly multireligious Malaysia,” he said in a statement today.

He was referring to the Education Ministry’s (MOE) introduction of the Imam Al-Nawawi 40 Hadith Appreciation module in national religious secondary schools and government-aided religious schools before it is rolled out in national schools for Muslim students.

The module is aimed at fostering values contained within Prophet Muhammad’s sayings (hadith) among schoolchildren. It was developed on the recommendation of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Abun said the ideals of Malaysia Madani should mean schoos should teach religious lessons to students of all faiths.

Yesterday, the Education Minister’s Office in a statement said the MOE is committed to introducing the module in schools 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. – August 31, 2023.