Tuesday, November 22

SDNU: Don’t convert Dayak children

KUCHING: Sarawak Dayak National Union which is the biggest Dayak organisation with a membership of well over 100,000 calls on the government to look into allegations of rural Dayak children being converted into Islam.

“We want the government to put a stop to it, because it is not healthy for the country where one religion is trying to patronise each other,” said Dr. John Brian Anthony, Deputy President of the Union.

Brian was reacting to statements made by Baru Bian, Ba’Kelalan assemblyman and Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau made during the debate on the state budget on the alleged attempt to impart Islamic teaching and practices to non-Muslim children in some Kemas and government pre-schools in the rural areas.

Bian had received complaints from parents that their children in Kemas and government pre-schools in the rural areas have been receiving Islamic teachings and practice.

And there was a real attempt at imparting the Islamic teachings and practice in such schools and wanted the government to investigate, he said.

The BN assemblyman for Telang Usan told the members of the state assembly that he too received similar complaints from parents.

He agreed with Bian that the government should seriously look into the complaints.

Brian said: “We have heard that Muslims teachers including Ustaz have been sent to the rural areas where they are Dayak children.

“As there are no Malay children, who are going to learn, if it is not with the intention of converting the poor Dayak children to become Muslims,” he said, pointing out that in Sarawak, there is no official religion.

“Yes in Malaysia we have Islam as the official religion, but in Sarawak we don’t have. So we have to respect each other.

“Once you have embraced Islam, dress like a Malay and speak the Malay Language, you are Malay. I think this is a political reason.

“We Dayaks in Sarawak must resist this attempt. It interferes with our rights.

“We want the government to look into the matter and put a stop to it.

“It is not going to be healthy for the country,” Brian said.

Meanwhile, in May this year, several quarters have voiced concern over religious teachers from Peninsular Malaysia being imported to Sarawak.

Among those who expressed such concern was the President of Parti Rakyat Malaysia James Masing who said that thousands of teachers including ‘religious counsellors’ would be transferred to Sarawak especially to the rural areas.

Sharing Masing’s concern was Sarawak DAP Secretary Chong Chieng Jen who said that Sarawak must oppose these teachers from being imported to the state, especially after what they saw happening in Peninsular Malaysia.

“We don’t need West Malaysian teachers who are extremists to influence our children,” he had said.

6 comments:

Banting said...

With the explanation given by Datuk Fatimah Abdullah that Pre-schools and Kemas have not tried to impart Islamic teaching to its non-Muslim pupils, let we put the issue into rest.

But it was very sad to note that our Dayak ministers who are mostly Christians have either little or zero concerns with this issue.

In the past, there was an attempt by a religious body to undermine Christianity from banning Dayak-language Bible to banning the use of Allah word, but Dayak ministers were ` deafening silence` on the issue.

Apai Semalau said...

Quote "“Yes in Malaysia we have Islam as the official religion, but in Sarawak we don’t have".

Puji Tuhan! God works in miraculous ways. We should welcome teachers be they religious or otherwise from west malaysia. Where are our true believers?Instead of letting them propagate their beliefs unto our young, we should instead grab this opportunity, be bold and with God's grace share with them the good news of our good Lord, that of experiencing the choice and joy of having Jesus in their lives. We need only sow the seed of christian love and with prayers let our good Lord do the conviction. That being said, there is therefore absolutely no compulsion in our beliefs and we do not convert others.....

Anonymous said...

There is rumours saying the gov going to bring in huge number of foreign workers to work in swk. The hidden motive is balance the population of non-muslim and muslim in swk. this means, eventually these foreign workers will eventually given IC and continue to vote BN

Anonymous said...

So where are we going with this?Where are the defenders of the rural folks and those civil servant ministers who are supposed to defend Sarawakian rights?Methinks they are too busy licking boots and scrambling for titbits thrown to them by their masters.Poor ignorant pathetic Sarawakians I weep for you and your naivete.

Sad Sack

Anonymous said...

anyone can make any denial but inorder to find the fact correct, just go to the rurual schools to find out.
it is not too late to change the bn agenda, thus all dayaks must vote for an alternative party for a relieve for the time being, just to snap the long hand of the hungry ghost bn.

Anonymous said...

If we panic, that shows the little amount of faith that we have. Jesus will not leave us alone my brothers and sisters as HE knows exactly what to do with these demons who abuse ISLAM.