Eye on religious teachers from Peninsula

Sarawak State Islamic Council to monitor them to ensure they do not promote extremist teachings that go against the government

KUCHING: Extremist religious teachers from Peninsular Malaysia sent to Sarawak will be closely monitored by the state government, said Daud Abdul Rahman, assistant minister in charge of Islamic affairs in the Chief Minister’s department.

“Those found to be promoting extremist or anti-government teachings will be sent home,” he said. “We will need the cooperation of the public and the education department to inform us of such teachers.”
He was asked to comment on remarks made by Parti Rakyat president and Land Development Minister James Masing that some ‘ustaz’ (religious teachers) sent to Sarawak were not seen as ‘ustaz’ but were ‘counselling teachers’ and was worried of their real intention.

“If they are real counsellors, I don’t mind. But they are masquerading as something else then it is quite dangerous,” Masing said. “Thousands of them are now teaching in rural schools.”

Several quarters including the Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (Sadia) have also expressed concern on the effect of these religious teachers on their children in the rural schools.

Some said that these ‘counselling teachers’ should stay in the peninsular where their services were more needed to help reduce religious extremism, drug addition, rapes, incest and other social problems.

Closely monitoring by MIS

Beginning next year, thousands more of these ‘ustaz’ will be posted to rural schools in Sarawak.
Daud said that ustaz from the peninsular Malaysia would be soon under the watchful eyes of the State Islamic Council (MIS) to ensure they do not promote extremist teachings that go against the state government.

“I do not deny that some teachers from the peninsular especially from the East Coast states have that kind of mentality and we will ensure they are closely monitored by MIS,” he said.

Daud said that Sarawak needs to employ ustaz from peninsular Malaysia as the state lacks religious teachers.

Admitting that there are extremist religious teachers, Daud said, however, the number is small, and that “not all religious teachers from the peninsular have extremist mentalities.”

Some of them, he said, are decent and have good characters.
“Still we have to take precautions,” said Daud, urging the public and the education department to cooperate with MIS and inform them of such teachers.