KUCHING, Dec 28: Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru (PBDSB) is against any move by the Education Ministry to post religious teachers to rural primary schools that do not have a single Muslim student.
Its president, Cobbold John, said with the `mandate’ given by Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik to these teachers to consider Sarawak as their “medan dakwah” (Islamic propagation field), the possibility of these religious teachers using subtle ways to influence Christian students to become Muslims is real.
“These teachers may be assigned to teach other subjects, but along the way, nothing will stop them from using subtle ways to influence the students to learn about Islam without the young minds knowing about it,” he cautioned in a statement today.
Cobbold pointed out that these teachers are from the PAS-controlled states of Kelantan and Terengganu.
“These teachers may well be PAS members and supporters. PAS, as we all, know is bent on spreading the Islamic faith in the country.”
Cobbold emphasised that PBDSB had no problem with religious teachers from the peninsula being sent to schools in the coastal areas or where the majority of the students are Muslims.
“We do not oppose for the sake of opposing so long as these teachers are sent to schools where the majority are Muslim students.
“But we will strongly oppose the posting of Muslim religious teachers to schools where most or all the students are Christian Dayaks.”
There is no justification for the ministry to post religious teachers to schools dominated by Christian students other than to influence them to become Muslims, he argued.
Cobbold said this was possible because there were attempts in the past to influence students to convert to Islam without the knowledge of their parents. — DayakDaily
