AI in Malaysia needs to apply 'turath Islam', says Anwar

SHAH ALAM: The values of “turath Islam” (Islamic heritage) must be applied to the field of artificial intelligence (AI) in Malaysia and not be guided entirely by the Western model, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The Prime Minister said that the skills and development of AI in the country need to be refined with Islamic knowledge and legacy, including manners and morality.

Anwar said knowledge in current AI technology is based on materials from Western countries because they developed the technology.

He said that, therefore, Islamic intellectual tradition must be included so that AI applied in Islamic countries does not deviate from the Islamic moral system and values.

Anwar said this when officiating the Riyadhu As-Salihin (The Meadows of the Righteous) appreciation seminar, which was held in conjunction with the Selangor Turath Islami Festival at Dewan Syarahan and Muzakarah Islam in Shah Alam on Saturday (June 1).

Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar were also present.

Anwar also commended the Selangor government for organising an Islamic heritage festival to revive the great works of Islam.

"What is being done in Selangor is interesting, and it maintains a tradition of (obtaining) knowledge in the old ways, such as teachers discussing the contents of a book.

"In the world of social media, knowledge (can be accessed) instantly. In Islam, in the tradition of seeking knowledge, one must read, study, appreciate and understand it,” he said.

Meanwhile, Amirudin said that Selangor is committed to mainstreaming “turath” (heritage) by establishing the Turath Academy under the management of the State Mosque–Masjid Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah.

He said that the state government had also compiled a syllabus for “talaqqi” (face-to-face) learning with teachers or religious scholars in mosques, which would be implemented in nine districts in Selangor as a start.

At the event, the Prime Minister also launched the translation of Imam al-Ghazali’s magnum opus Kitab Ihya' Ulumuddin (The Revival of the Religious Sciences) and Imam al-Nawawi’s 40 Hadith into Malay.

The second edition of the Selangor Turath Islami Festival, which runs from May 26 to June 2, aims to revive Islamic heritage in the daily lives of Muslims in the archipelago.

The festival features the world's leading scholars, namely the former Grand Mufti of Egypt, Professor Dr Ali Jum'ah, who picked the “Riyadhu as-Salihin” and “40 Hadith” to be studied and appreciated at the event. – Bernama