THE introduction of Imam Nawawi’s 40 Hadith module will definitely have an impact on non-Muslim parents and students, who may decide to stay away from attending national schools in the long run, a think tank said.

Iman Research said although the module is only for Muslim students in government religious schools starting next year, and eventually for Muslim students in national schools, it will still be a cause for concern for non-Muslims.

It also said the move is not good for nation-building.

Others, however, said it will take time for the non-Muslims to understand the purpose of the new module, and to accept that it does not involve them.

Iman Research programme director Badrul Hisham Ismail told The Malaysian Insight that the introduction of the module would cause uneasiness among non-Muslim parents.

“It will disengage the non-Muslim parents from national schools and they will push for private or vernacular schools,” he said.

“We are creating a division and the gap will widen. In the long run, it is dangerous. I’m not saying that the hadith module is dangerous. But when the division becomes wider, it is not good for nation-building.

“At the moment, we are facing a racial and religious narrative. If we fail to address this, our future is not going to be good.”

Badrul said the government should be ready to allow more academic discourse on the matter.

He said the introduction of the module appeared to be the government’s effort to counter the narrative played by Perikatan Nasional (PN).

“The syllabus is not the problem. But who is going to teach the children about the hadith? What capacity do these teachers have? Do they really have a good understanding about the hadith to reject radicalism?

“Is the interpretation going to reach the students? And if we do not allow for more discourse, we will not grow as a nation. Are we going to allow just one voice to be heard?

“Overall, I think the government is trying to compete with PN and show the Malays that it is just as Muslim as PAS,” he said.

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek launched the “Imam Al-Nawawi 40 Hadith” appreciation module on August 18, aimed at fostering the values of Prophet Muhammad’s sayings or hadith at the school level.

The module will be introduced in national religious secondary schools and government-funded religious schools next year before it is rolled out in public schools where it will be taught to only Muslim students.

The module was developed on the recommendation of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who wants the hadith to be taught in schools.

Following that, the Education Ministry said the module would help in dealing with radicalism and extremism, and provide a true representation of Islamic values and their application in Malaysia’s plural society.

The ministry reiterated that the initiative only involved Muslim teachers and students, and would be expanded to other schools only for the Islamic Education subject.

More Islamic teachings

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia academic Mazlan Ali said the process of accepting the module would take some time and would be a slow process.

He said the government might also introduce more Islamic teachings in schools in the near future.

“I agree that the module is to show that the government is Malay-Muslim and not being controlled by DAP. This is important to win back the Malay trust,” he said.

“But I believe that non-Muslim parents will accept it gradually. It will take time for them to accept that this is not for their children. Eventually, this matter will settle.”

A Pakatan Harapan (PH) leader who wished to remain anonymous also expressed confidence that the syllabus will not create any misunderstanding.

“This is not a process of Islamisation. We are not imposing our belief on others, and this is strictly for Muslim students.

“For me, the issue is already solved. Even MCA has accepted the explanation.

“PAS will have a dialogue with Gerakan, but that is out of our knowledge.

“As for the government, we will make sure that the implementation is according to the plan,” the PH leader said. – September 2, 2023.