Zaid: Religious teachers must start with ethical values

PETALING JAYA: Former minister Zaid Ibrahim wants Islamic teachers in the country to start teaching children ethical values from a young age.

He called for the need for the young to learn the basics of what is right and wrong, and not just what some religious teacher may impart.

“It’s not enough to say that Islam is under attack, to name-call others we do not like or to cite passages from the Quran or a hadith about honesty.

“They need to learn the basics of right and wrong. Not their (teachers) own version of it, but the values common to humanity.

“Our young need to appreciate integrity and honesty because these intrinsic values will hold them in good stead for the rest of their lives,” Zaid said.

He added that this was one way to make Muslims honest.

“Armed with such right guidance, Muslims will not cheat other Muslims, will not be greedy and probably work harder because there will be no more opportunities to live on blood money.”

Zaid said this in reference to his experience in Cambodia recently, when he paid a visit to the province of Kampong Cham.

He related how he met with original Champa Malays, especially spending time with two women who ran a halal restaurant in the province which is home to more than 5,000 Muslims.

After having eaten there with a friend, Zaid said he got to talking with the owners Wan Siti Aishah and Azizah.

“First, they complained about middlemen who organised charities on people’s behalf, only to pocket some of the proceeds for themselves, enough for them to be able to own a few cars.

“These middlemen are usually religious officials who have contacts with other Muslim organisations,” Zaid said.

He added how even donations from Malaysians who wanted to ensure Cambodian Muslims could fulfill their religious obligations were squandered by these middlemen.

“During Hari Raya Haji, many Malaysians donated generously and gave korban (sacrifice) to Muslims in Kampong Cham so they could eat meat.

“Unfortunately, the middlemen took some before giving the rest to the villagers.

“‘Why do Muslims cheat other Muslims. Why can’t they be honest with their own kind?’, Wan Siti Aishah asked me,” Zaid said, adding that his first response was that such a scenario was true all throughout the Muslim world.

Zaid said he could only comfort her by saying that there are just as many good people who have done a lot to help their fellow Muslims.

“There will always be dishonest people in this world, and being outwardly ‘religious’ says nothing about their integrity.

“However, I told them that there are also good people willing to do more charity for their fellow Muslims,” he said, adding that he had shared how his wife helped the disabled for more than 20 years in Kelantan.

Interestingly, Zaid said he also made one more observation while in Cambodia about the difference between men and women.

“The women there work harder than the men, which is what they say about the Kelantanese too.

“The men spend a lot of time talking among themselves, which is somewhat similar to how the men in my state behave.

“Could it be that we Kelantanese came from Cambodia centuries ago?” he said. - FMT