IPOH: The Perak State Islamic Religious Department (JAIPk) will reevaluate and develop more appropriate preaching course modules.
In a statement issued on Friday (Aug 2), the state government said that it would discuss the matter with all stakeholders, including the state Mufti Department and Perak Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIPk), to develop more appropriate methods and approaches for the course.
"JAIPk will reevaluate its module and methods in running the course and set up a guideline for participants in future programmes," it said.
The statement was issued after a video clip showing participants of a JAIPk preaching course visiting a Hindu temple on July 30 went viral.
In the video clip, a female participant was said to have shared her thoughts about the similarity between Islam and Hindu religions, which caused a backlash from the netizens.
JAIPk said it regretted the polemic raised in relation to the video clip.
It said that the visit was organised by the Global Unity Network (Unity). This non-profit, non-governmental organisation focuses on knowledge culture and interfaith communication, with the cooperation of JAIPk and has involved 32 participants from Perak.
"The participants were part of a preaching course under JAIPk, which aimed to improve their understanding of preaching activities.
"The visit was one of the modules in the course to train and improve the participants' confidence in preaching, especially to correct the misunderstanding towards the Islam religion and hate due to Islamophobia," it said.
"The visit became polemic after an article aired a video clip in which a female participant made a statement that caused misunderstanding and was hotly debated on social media.
"JAIPk wishes to clarify that the woman is not an officer or staff member of the department, as claimed, but a participant who joined the course willingly.
"We wish to apologise to everyone, especially the Muslim community, over the controversy caused and tarnishing the name of the state government and religious authorities," it added.
JAIPk said it would never loosen its grip on the principles of maqasid syariah, which has underpinned the state government.
"We are aware of the state government's instructions and the decree by Perak's Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah to ensure the matter is handled immediately to prevent it from causing further anxiety among the people.
"JAIPk will also discuss with all stakeholders, including the state Mufti Department and Perak Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIPk), to develop more appropriate methods and approaches for the preaching course," it said.
