EDUCATION is the only thing you need to combat negative aspects about religion, said academic Asma Afsaruddin at a forum today.

Asma, a professor in the Near Eastern Languages and Cultures Department at Indiana University in Bloomington, said she was appalled by the ignorance among youth today about their religious traditions.

“Muslim youth are also separated, almost divorced from their religious traditions.

“They don’t often appreciate the diversity of the Islamic tradition,” she said at a forum titled “Is it time to look beyond the idea of liberal Islam?” in Kuala Lumpur today.

She said that basic education on religious tenets and principles should give youth a better understanding of their religion. 

She also said that groups, such as scholars and intellectuals, had to play their roles in engaging with youngsters to ensure accuracy when it comes to religious knowledge. 

“It has to start with us and (we have to) start by disseminating or educating all parts of society,” she added.

Moderator of the forum, G25 member Noor Farida Mohd Ariffin echoed similar sentiments, saying education was the right channel to teach Islam the right way. 

She added that education did not only mean teaching how to perform rituals but also enlightening students on the the basic principles of the religion. 

“The emphasis should not be on ritual alone, but what Islam upholds. The principles of justice, mercy, compassion, equality and being kind to one another,” said Farida.

She also said that religion should not be oppressive, as it is sometimes taught and practised in the country. – July 22, 2018.