What will PAS do about immoral crimes in religious schools?
Every few days, we read stories about teachers in religious schools committing such crimes, and we also suspect that for every crime that has been committed, several others have not been reported; but where is the emotional storm from the public?
Mariam Mokhtar, FMT
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang claimed that some people despise Islam and its teachings because the media has the tendency to hype the immoral acts committed by teachers in religious and tahfiz schools.
Is he right? Does Islam get a bad press from reporters writing about the heinous crimes of religious teachers?
Hadi also claimed that only a handful of teachers are responsible for these crimes, but this is also wrong. There is no reason to justify the actions of these teachers.
Why does Hadi think the media is misrepresenting Islam? Is he embarrassed that teachers and wardens in religious schools have carried out these acts?
Every few days, we read stories about teachers in religious schools committing such crimes, and we also suspect that for every crime that has been committed, several others have not been reported; but where is the emotional storm from the public?
One teacher guilty of these acts against his charges is one too many. Hadi should initiate an investigation into why teachers of religious schools commit such crimes.
What is the track record of the school and have previous cases been covered up or fully investigated? Is the school mismanaged? Is there something more that we are not being told about the school and its teachers?
Parents will have put their trust in the teachers and schools to take care of their children. It is the last place where parents expect teachers to abuse this trust.
The safety, physical and mental health and also the future of these children are paramount. Can Hadi not see that?
Hadi’s comments about the media have shaken our confidence in religious leaders and wannabe politicians. Is he prioritising religious political power over the safety and mental health of our children?
We would welcome Hadi’s proposal to educate our children about sexual predators. At the moment, many parents and teachers are reluctant to support sex education in our schools because many believe that sex education is about free sex; but if children lack basic sex education in the government schools, how will they know that they are being groomed?
It is not just conservative Malays, because the same happens to non-Muslim families, too. How will children know that they are being abused especially when teachers have probably warned them to keep quiet and not invite God’s wrath?
Each time a heinous act is committed in religious and tahfiz schools, what is the feedback from parents, teachers and children, and also the general public? Are they too scared to make any comments because of the 3Rs?
How many cases of immoral acts by religious teachers have been successfully prosecuted? How many resulted in stiff punishment for the teachers? What punishment was meted out to those found guilty? Are the offending teachers placed on the “sex register list” so they can be monitored by the police?
These teachers should not be allowed to go near children again and certainly not to teach, but laws in Malaysia are lax.
There should be no cover-ups and we must not be afraid to report any wrongdoing, so that we are constantly improving and getting better to provide a safe environment for our children.
Both students and teachers must feel safe, and whistleblowing should be encouraged. Teachers or school employees should not feel that their jobs are threatened, and students should not fear being expelled for speaking out. People fear retaliation and this is what makes them reluctant to report crimes.
Parents would be interested to find out about the safety culture in these schools, and Hadi’s criticism of the press for highlighting these immoral acts has not helped.
So, how will religious parties like PAS handle immoral cases in schools?
