KUALA LUMPUR – The Imam Al-Nawawi’s 40 Hadith Appreciation Module is only targeted at Muslim teachers and students, assured the Education Ministry.
In a Facebook post, it said the pilot programme will be introduced to Muslim teachers and students in 61 National Religious Secondary Schools (SMKA) and 228 Government Aided Religious Schools (SABK).
The ministry reiterated that the module is aimed at fostering and nurturing religious understanding among Muslim teachers and students, as well as help shape better moral values.
It added that the ministry would strive to apply elements of unity, cross-culturalism, religious diversity and mutual respect between races in every initiative implemented in the educational institutions under its purview.
Meanwhile, the Muslim Youth Movement Malaysia (Abim) and Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia (PPIM) said the module should not be politicised as it only involves Muslims.
The module is expected to be introduced to Muslim students in other schools under the ministry next year.
However, the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism raised concerns that the module’s implementation in school is unconstitutional.
This, it said, is because there is no provision in the Federal Constitution that allows such Islamic studies to be taught in that way in schools. – August 25, 2023