Hannah Yeoh: Probe into controversial Zakir Naik exam question must be done

PETALING JAYA: Hannah Yeoh has called on the Education Ministry to probe how preacher Dr Zakir Naik appeared in an exam question set by a local university recently.

"A probe is a must. The Education Ministry should not be citing autonomy," said the Segambut MP.

In a post on her Facebook page, Yeoh noted that public institutions funded by taxpayers cannot be a breeding ground for intolerance and racial or religious hatred.

"If we scrapped the National Civics Bureau (BTM) for the same reason, we have to be consistent with this," said the Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister.

The question is believed to be part of the Universiti Malaysia Perlis' (UniMAP) Ethnic Relations Course, and the test was held on Sunday (Dec 29).

The question reads: “Zakir Naik is one of the icons of the Islamic world, he is very active in spreading true Islam and following the Quran and Sunnah of Rasullah SAW. He is able to reason and to answer every question that is asked to him. However, in Malaysia, he is no longer allowed to deliver speeches. In your opinion, as a Malaysian, why does this happen?”

The answers provided were: (1) Malaysians do not bother getting actual information; (2) Malaysians are sensitive and feel threatened for no reason; 3) Malaysians just follow the crowd without verifying any information; or 4) Malaysians are ignorant about their own religion.

UniMAP said that an investigation into the matter is underway, adding that an official statement will be released as soon as all the information is gathered.

“We urge everyone to stop any form of provocation that could lead to disharmony and allow UniMAP to conduct a thorough investigation, ” it said, adding that UniMAP is multiracial university.

The university added that it would be reviewing its vetting system for exam questions for the subject to ensure lecturers are more aware of the sensitivities of the different races and religions.

Meanwhile, the Education Ministry’s Higher Education Department said it will not intervene in the matter, citing the principle of “autonomy with accountability”.

“We will not interfere in the conduct of academic programmes as we hold to the concept of autonomy with accountability, ” it said in a statement earlier Monday.

In August, Zakir was banned from delivering public speeches in Malaysia after he insulted Malaysians of Chinese and Indian descent, and is known for criticising other religions.

He was at the recent Kuala Lumpur Summit 2019, saying he was there at the invitation of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.