SHAH ALAM: The allegation that the position of Islam will be jeopardised if Selangor is governed by Pakatan Harapan (PH) is far from the truth as the status of the religion of the Federation continues to be strengthened by the PH-led state government.
Head of Universiti Selangor (Unisel) Institute of Maqasid Syariah Hasri Harun said that based on his observations, dakwah activities and programmes in the state have been increasing over the years, and the state government’s allocation to Islamic institutions and agencies has also grown larger.
“The state government’s effort to whitelist unregistered private religious schools, for example, should be supported by the people as it aims to elevate the quality and standards of these institutions.
“Unfortunately, when actions are taken against one or two illegal tahfiz schools, it is quickly and wrongly perceived as an attempt to eradicate Islam. This needs to be clarified to the general public,” he told Bernama here today.
Meanwhile, Chairman of Selangor Quran Tahfiz Institutions Association (Pitas) Muhamad Hafiz Muhamad Haneefa said the state government has implemented various programmes to empower tahfiz institutions, involving annual allocations amounting to millions of ringgit.
In fact, he said the state government has allocated RM10 million annually for infrastructure improvements for tahfiz institutions, in addition to various forms of scholarships and financial aid since 2008.
“The state government, under the leadership of Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari since 2018 has also introduced the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) fast-track programme which allows tahfiz students to study for free on weekends at 12 selected learning centres, with an annual allocation of RM2 million,” he said.
Muhamad Hafiz also said that he was made to understand that the state government has plans to strengthen tahfiz education in Selangor, with the existence of five fully-funded Selangor Integrated Tahfiz Institutes, and plans to establish nine more in different districts of the state.
As such, he called on the state government to consider providing additional support to private tahfiz centres by allocating financial aid in the form of allowances to their teachers, as many of them fall into the low-income category (asnaf).
For the record, Pitas comprises 478 private religious schools with more than 22,000 students.
Between 2018 and last year, the Selangor government was reported to have allocated RM1.4 billion to strengthen the position of Islam in the state.
This allocation covered various aspects, including welfare for mosque staff in the form of allowances, special contributions from the Social Security Organisation (Socso) to 4,200 Kelas Al-Quran and Fardhu Ain (KAFA) teachers, and funds for the needs of religious schools and houses of worship.
Various religious programmes such as Selangor Turath Islami Festival, Muzakarah Ulama-Umara and Zikir Darul Ehsan programme involving renowned local and international scholars had also been held in the state, with the latest being the Darul Ehsan Berselawat 2.0 programme at the Malawati Indoor Stadium here on July 29, which was attended by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and 5,000 participants.
The state government remains consistent in upholding the position of Islam by making religion the core and inspiration for a dignified life through the “Tawaran Kita Selangor” manifesto if the alliance of PH and Barisan Nasional (BN) were elected to retain power in Selangor in the state elections on Aug 12.
Under the manifesto, the PH-BN coalition offers, among others, an increase in allowances for imams, bilals (muezzins), religious clerks, and nazirs (religious officials) in stages; streamlining the registration process for Islamic secondary schools to ensure the safety and conducive environment for students; introducing the Al-Ghazali Scholarship for tahfiz, pondok (religious boarding school), and religious schools, subsidising haj cost to RM3,000 for first-time pilgrims, and expanding the study of religious texts (kitab turath) to every district. -Bernama
