PETALING JAYA: Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) has denied forcing non-Muslim Bumiputera students from East Malaysia to attend Islamic talks at an “identity and spirituality camp” held on Jan 11.
The university said there were other talks that non-Muslim students attended, such as one on social ethics, while their Muslim counterparts went for Islamic ceramahs.
It said the main goal of the programme was to form greater social awareness and character in students.
UiTM added that it decided to hold the camp at a nearby mosque and its hall as it was easier to manage, saved time and logistics resources, while ensuring participants could follow the planned activities without much disruption.
“UiTM views seriously the confusion that arose due to communication issues and the camp’s poster. The co-curricular centre will review the procedures for holding the programme to ensure it is more efficiently held in future.
“Improvements that will be made include being more detailed in distributing information and promotional material to avoid misunderstandings. UiTM stresses that the programme respects the religious and cultural sensitivities of all participants.
“UiTM remains committed to ensuring that co-curricular activities are inclusive and professional, while contributing to the development of graduates who are competitive,” it said in a statement.
The university added that the camp was attended by 2,447 students in their first semester at UiTM, including 34 non-Muslim students.
Several NGOs had urged higher education minister Zambry Abdul Kadir to explain claims that non-Muslim Bumiputera students from East Malaysia at UiTM were forced to attend an Islamic event on campus.
They said it would be an attack on religious freedom as well as the identity and autonomy of Sabah and Sarawak if the allegations were true.
According to viral posters of the two-day event, all non-Muslim students and 10 Muslim students from each class at UiTM Shah Alam were required to attend an “identity and spirituality camp” at a mosque.
