Kamalanathan: Korban in schools not permitted

The religious sacrifice of cattle, known as korban, cannot be carried out in schools and the incident in Puchong was an oversight, says Deputy Education Minister II P Kamalanathan.

"Actually that act (korban in schools) is not permitted. We have already investigated the matter. Usually it is not permitted, but the problem arose because the district education department (PPD) was not informed," Kamalanathan told a press conference today.

He was responding to the outcry from the non-Muslim community over the slaughter of cows at SK Puchong Jaya in Selangor during Aidiladha last week, which the school principal has reportedly defended.

"If they had informed the district education office, they would have been advised to carry out the ceremony at a nearby surau," Kamalanathan said.

He said everybody needed to remember school populations are multicultural and multireligious, and respect should be accorded to all.

Asked whether the authorities would issue a circular on the matter if none had been issued before, the deputy minister, who is from the MIC, said there was no need to issue a circular.

"No, we will advise from time to time. No need for that," he said.
To Hindus and Buddhists in particular, the cow is a sacred animal and carrying out the slaughter ritual in a public place like a school has been viewed by non-Muslim parents as insensitive.
Parents from a primary school kicked up a fuss last week, saying the ritual had shocked and distressed some children, who thought that the cows had strayed into the school compound by mistake.
The issue escalated when a man named "Saravanan" called the headmaster of SK Puchong Jaya, just one of the schools where the korban took place, to complain.

The conversation was posted on YouTube and it went viral. In the eight-minute conversation, Saravanan, claiming to be an overseas caller, is heard asking repeatedly about government rules, and challenging the principal, Mohd Amin Bahari, to explain: "Why can't the Chinese also slaughter pigs at the school during festivals?"

In his defence, Mohd Amin said non-Muslims were not made to watch the cow slaughtering. It was done only as a means to educate the Muslim students in the school and it was agreed to by the other school teachers.

However, this irked Malay rights NGO Perkasa, which filed a police report in Johor, calling for an investigation against Saravanan for making seditious remarks and challenging the rights of Muslims in the country.