Sex education should not be taboo, says Mujahid

PARLIAMENT | Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mujahid Yusof Rawa said sex education should be seen as educational to prevent issues related to sex and sexuality in the country.

"(The government) plans to educate the public in general, not just about the LGBT community, but about sex education in general, which of course, starts at home.

"We can no longer view sex education as something taboo, but something which can educate (people) to prevent them from getting involved (in sexual and sexuality issues), including from a syariah context.

"I take this as a challenge for us to tackle – not just on the LGBT issue but on a holistic level – all sexual and sexuality issues," he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Mujahid was responding to Hasanuddin Mohd Yunus (Harapan-Hulu Langat), who asked how the government plans to educate Malaysians and prevent them from getting involved in issues related to sex and sexuality, like rape and LGBT activities.

The de facto Islamic affairs minister had previously answered a question from Ahmad Nazlan Idris (BN-Jerantut) on whether the government would take decisive action against the spread of LGBT culture in line with Islam being the religion of the federation.

Mujahid reiterated his previous statement that the LGBT community's rights as citizens are enshrined in the Federal Constitution, which means they cannot be discriminated against at the workplace.

He said, however, that from a legal standpoint LGBT activities are against the law – as stated in Section 377A of the Penal Code, which deals with "carnal intercourse against the order of nature."

"This means that the LGBT community's rights to lead their lifestyle are bound by the law, which does not allow it in Malaysia. Is that clear?

"At the same time, their human rights as Malaysian citizens will be preserved based on the Federal Constitution which places Islam as the federal religion.

"In other words, this community cannot be discriminated against in the workplace, and they cannot be betrayed or oppressed," he said.

Outreach and engagement

Statistics, Mujahid noted, show that 80 percent of transgender women are involved in the sex industry, and that the fate will befall even more if the community continues to be discriminated against in the workplace.

"The Pakatan Harapan government hopes to get them out of this industry," he said.

Aside from the legal and constitutional aspect, Mujahid said the government is also continuing with their proactive initiatives of outreach and engagement with the LGBT community.

This includes a voluntary treatment and rehabilitation programme under the Islamic Development Department (Jakim), which has been in place since 2011.

The government also plans to hold a variety of seminars and programmes targeted at the public, including students, parents, volunteers and health officials.

These seminars, the minister said, will discuss the LGBT issue from psychosocial, psychological and health aspects so that participants can receive accurate information and knowledge.

"Jakim has also published an e-book for those dealing with the homosexuality problem, which can be downloaded on the Google Play Store," Mujahid added.

At the same time, he acknowledged that the LGBT issue is not exclusive to Muslims, and said that the government will hold dialogues with those from other religions to help them handle this issue.

Previously, he had said that those in the LGBT community cannot be discriminated against as citizens of the country, but advised them not to challenge the country's value system.

- Mkini