Maszlee: I meant dakwah to spread good, not convert
Education Minister Maszlee Malik said his comments urging religious teachers to use Sabah and Sarawak as their "medan dakwah" (field of propogation) had been misunderstood.
Maszlee said he had meant dakwah in the universal sense of inviting people towards good...
Education Minister Maszlee Malik said his comments urging religious teachers to use Sabah and Sarawak as their "medan dakwah" (field of propogation) had been misunderstood.
Maszlee said he had meant dakwah in the universal sense of inviting people towards good.
"When I said teachers in Sabah and Sarawak must use it as a medan dakwah, some immediately think of religion. That is a narrow interpretation.
"Making someone smart is also dakwah. When I raised it in Parliament, those in Sabah and Sarawak clamoured, saying I used schools for dakwah.
"I want to correct this (perception). Teaching goodness is dakwah," he said in a speech in Putrajaya today.
He added that teaching people to fight corruption is also part of dakwah.
The literal translation for the Arabic word dakwah, is "making an invitation". It is a term often used to mean the proselytisation of Islam.
Maszlee had made the controversial remarks in Parliament on Dec 11, while appealing to Islamic Studies teachers from the peninsula who are stationed in East Malaysia to stay at their posts.
This is due to the fact that Sabah and Sarawak are experiencing a shortage of Islamic Studies teachers.
His remarks had caused unease among many groups in Sabah and Sarawak, as it was perceived to be an attempt to Islamicise the two states.
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