KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 3 — Educating students about different civilisations is more beneficial than teaching them religious doctrines as proposed in the “Interfaith Understanding” subject mooted for public schools, said the Islamic and Strategic Studies Institute (ISSI) today.
ISSI chief executive Dr Amran Muhammad said such an approach would teach students to embrace diversity “without insecurity and awkwardness, or culture shock”, compared to the subject proposed by the Committee to Promote Interfaith Understanding and Harmony (JKMPKA).
“We believe that a subject such as ‘Interfaith understanding’ must be presented within a broader civilisational context so as to highlight the pivotal points and achievements that were attained by many great civilisations due to the teachings of the religions from whose bosoms their civilisations were born,” he said in a statement.
“There is a dangerous pitfall to the doctrinal and dogmatic approach when it is implemented without wisdom, resulting in a compounded misunderstanding and confusion that could make everyone feels uncomfortable,” he added.
He said a subject on understanding civilisations could employ a combination of historical perspectives, critical thinking, cultural analyses and religious worldviews to encourage deeper appreciation and understanding of religions.
Amran further suggested that the subject could be a revamp of the existing Islamic Civilisation and Asian Civilisation (TITAS) course in universities, saying teachers and trainers familiar with the subject could be adapted to his proposal.
“In view of the growing dissatisfaction with TITAS, its content should be improved through the introduction of global and contemporary themes such as those that deal with the threat of extremism and terrorism, which incidentally, is linked to the Islamic religion and civilisation, along with its adherents,” he said.
On Sunday, JKMPKA chairman Datuk Azman Amin Hassan had in a forum said there was a need for the creation of an “Interfaith Understanding” subject in schools and that the department will be suggesting it in a meeting with the Education Ministry.
Azman said a study conducted by the National Unity and Integration Department had shown many Malaysian individuals lacked knowledge and understanding of faiths other than their own.
