KUCHING: The State’s Coalition of Malaysian Muslim Students (Gamis) disagrees with any effort that hinders Sarawakian Muslims from obtaining quality Islamic education from qualified teachers either from Malaya or Sarawak.
Chairman of Gamis’ Dakwah and Welfare Council Adzhar Khairulzaim said any hindrance would contradict the federal constitution.
“The council is very grateful for the efforts of educators from Peninsular Malaysia who have helped strengthen the understanding of Islam among students.
“Without compromising the peaceful co-existence between Sarawakians of various religions, customs and cultures, these teachers have had a positive impact on the development of manners and morals of Muslims in Sarawak,” he said in a press statement issued yesterday.
He said this in response to the concerns of several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who had expressed unhappiness over a statement made by Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik in Parliament recently.
“Dr Mazlee Malik expressed his wish for Islamic teachers who are now working in Sarawak not to apply for transfer to address the lack of teachers and to assist in Islamic preaching in Sarawak.
“Several NGOs and associations in Sarawak have objected to the statement by the minister.
“They were worried about the propagation of Islam among school children, and they emphasised that Islam is not the official religion of Sarawak,” he said.
