Stop insulting non-Muslim students, says Henrynus
Published on: Thursday, June 25, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: Deputy Prime Minister cum Education Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has been urged to immediately look into and stop the ugly incidences of schools or teachers requiring non-Muslim students to take their food or water in the toilets during the fasting month.Datuk Henrynus Amin who was recently appointed Peace Ambassador for the newly set up Christian for Peace and Harmony Trust (CPHT) organisation said he was appalled to hear what Muslim teachers were doing to alienate non-Muslim pupils by treating them in such shoddy manner.He said these Muslim teachers should realise that they cannot insult the non-Muslim pupils by casting them out to the toilets to eat as filthy human beings.
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"Apart from the hygiene and safety risks in forcing these pupils to eat and drink in the toilet, there is also the deep scar of shame inflicted on them, for no fault of their own."So I urge the Education Minister to stop this nonsense," he said in a statement here Wednesday.Henrynus said while the month of Ramadan should be respected by all Malaysians, subjecting these innocent pupils to such raw treatment was fomenting anger, hatred, distrust and discontent among non-Muslims."This is an act of total disrespect of the civil rights of non-Muslims," said Henrynus.
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He urged schools or school teachers to use a little bit of imagination on how to deal with the needs of non-Muslim students to eat food or drink water during recess during the fasting month.He said instead of using toilets, schools should provide non-Muslim students with a proper place or room to allow them to eat food and drink water during the fasting month hidden from other Muslim students.
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He said school policy forcing non-Muslim students to eat in the toilet during the fasting month is detrimental to peace and harmony and therefore must be stopped immediately.Henrynus who is a former Member of Parliament and PBS Secretary General said requiring non-Muslim pupils to eat in the toilets during the fasting month can be misconstrued as religious insult or prejudice, even discrimination or persecution."I am sure the school authorities or school teachers have no intention of insulting these non-Muslim students during the month of Ramadan."Henrynus said he was speaking out of concern for the deep scars of shame and anger in the hearts and minds of these affected non-Muslim students experiencing religious prejudice while in school.He said these non-Muslim students would probably grow up with very wrong or negative views of the Muslim faith with very far reaching consequences to peace and harmony.He said the CPHT would continue to be concerned and will therefore closely monitor developments in Christian and Muslim relations.He said CPHT planned to engage the Muslim community constructively and take measures to resolve any misunderstanding in order to promote peace and harmony.Henrynus, meanwhile lauded the bold stand taken by the Chief Ministers of Sabah and Sarawak in their resolve to make religious issues a non-issue.He said Christians in Sabah and Sarawak welcomed the position taken by these two Chief Ministers to confront and stop the export of religious extremism from West Malaysia to East Malaysian states.Henrynus also hailed the decision by Datuk Shafie Apdal as Federal Minister to finally allow Christian students to use Mara school facilities for their activities.He said Shafie several months ago announced his decision nullifying government policy directives intended for Mara schools in West Malaysia in the 1970s to deny Christian students in Sabah and Sarawak the use of Mara school facilities for their Christian activities.He said Christians in Sabah and Sarawak welcome the announcement as they believed policy directives by federal ministries or agencies intended for implementation in West Malaysia should not be implemented in Sabah and Sarawak wholesale or at face value."Sabah and Sarawak are fundamentally different in terms of their racial and religious composition compared to West Malaysia."He said the circumstances leading to participation of Sabah and Sarawak in the formation of Malaysia are fundamentally different as many safeguards including the freedom of religion were constitutionally guaranteed. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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