SHAH ALAM: Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) has denied claims that non-Muslim students were forced to take part in an Islamic programme during its Identity and Spirituality Camp Series 20 on Jan 11.
In a statement on Tuesday (Jan 14), the university said that the programme, held at Masjid Al-Wathiqu Billah Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, UiTM Shah Alam, involved 2,447 first-semester students, including 34 non-Muslim students from the Kesatria Negara 1, Kembara 1, and Pancaragam 1 co-curricular courses.
"The carefully planned activities, which focused on character, intellectual, and spiritual development, reflect UiTM’s commitment to producing well-rounded students with integrity who are ready to contribute to society,” it said.
According to UiTM, Muslim students participated in a lecture on funeral management in the mosque’s main hall, while non-Muslim students attended a talk on social ethics, which was held at 2.30pm at Dewan Muktamar.
"The social ethics talk aimed to provide an understanding of ethical values in social settings, such as at home, in the workplace and in public spaces. After the talk, non-Muslim students were treated to afternoon tea before being allowed to return home,” said the statement.
UiTM said that the decision to use the mosque and Dewan Muktamar (located within the mosque) as venues was made to facilitate management, save time and logistical resources, and ensure that participants could engage in the activities without disruptions.
"However, UiTM takes the confusion caused by communication issues and the programme’s poster seriously. The co-curricular centre will review the procedures for organising the programme to ensure more efficient implementation in the future.
"Improvements that will be made include being more careful in providing information and distributing promotional materials to avoid misunderstandings.
"UiTM remains committed to ensuring that co-curricular activities uphold the principles of inclusivity and professionalism while contributing to the development of competitive students with high integrity,” said the statement. – Bernama
