No such thing as Umno's version of Islam, Karim tells DAP's Chong

March 13, 2017

Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu supreme council member Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah (right) lashed out at Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen for claiming that Peninsular Malaysia religious teachers will promote Umno's version of Islamic teachings among children in Sarawak. File pix by NADIM BOKHARI.

KUCHING: A Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu supreme council member has slammed Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen for calling on the state government to stop taking Islamic religious teachers from Peninsular Malaysia to teach in the state.

Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said Chong was being insensitive in claiming that Peninsular Malaysia religious teachers will promote Umno's version of Islamic teachings among children in Sarawak.

Karim, who is also the Assistant State Youth and Sports Minister, said such paranoid outlook only exist in Chong's mind and among Sarawak DAP leaders.

“There is no such thing as Umno's version of Islamic teaching as he had claimed.

“Islam is universal and the teaching is the same. Chong should not have touched on sensitive matters such as religion.

“Do not look down on our religion and suggest that there is some sort of regional or party version of Islam,” Karim told the New Straits Times today.

Karim was commenting on Chong's statement, who made the remarks while opposing the recruitment of Peninsular Malaysia religious teachers to fill up 433 vacancies in the state.

A local English daily stated that Chong was concerned that the religious teachers would promote the Umno's version of Islam among Sarawakian children, which in turn will lead to racial segregation. -New Straits Times