Scholar moots Mandarin, Islam lessons to foster understanding

If Anwar Ibrahim wishes to be remembered as the country’s figure of unity, the prime minister ought to identify issues that are the cause of disputes among Muslims and between races.

Religious scholar Engku Ahmad Fadzil Engku Ali has called on the newly minted prime minister to consider offering incentives to the Malay community to learn Mandarin and at the same time, the non-Muslims should be given a basic understanding of Islam.

These measures, he said, could foster and realise a peaceful coexistence.

“If among Muslims, the topics that are often disputed are heresy and sunnah as well as monotheism and polytheism. This is one of the topics that need to be included in the syllabus for easy understanding,” he said.

Engku Ahmad (above) said this during a religious meeting with Anwar at the prime minister’s official residence, the Seri Perdana Complex, in Putrajaya last evening.

“Maybe we can suggest giving them (Malays) some incentive to learn Chinese or Mandarin and at the same time, it should be considered to give basic understanding to non-Muslims on the religion that is in accordance with Article 3 of the Federal Constitution – Islam is the religion of the federation.”

It is rather absurd, he said, that the people do not have a good understanding of Islam although it is the state religion.

He said it is considered a “terrorist religion” but in actual fact, Islam has an unexplainable beauty.

“Therefore, if non-Chinese people understand the language of that race while non-Muslims know about this religion (Islam), it can foster unity in this country,” the former International Islamic University Malaysia lecturer said.

Among other proposals Engku Ahmad had for Anwar is to unite the country and leave an excellent legacy, including curbing extremism and bringing back the intellectual glory of Islam.

“We have to return to Ash’ari and reject Shia and Wahhabi.

“We see now that many religious disciples who are absorbed in extremism may be due political or party bigotry, up to the point that it is easy for them to say that someone is an infidel if they disagree with them.”

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