Each campus given autonomy, UiTM head says of anti-Christian seminar

UiTM president and vice-chancellor Tan Sri Dr Sahol Hamid Abu Bakar says each campus is given the freedom to run its own affairs. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, December 17, 2015. 

Each campus in Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) is given autonomy to administer its own affairs, the university's president and vice-chancellor says in response to the storm over the anti-Christian seminar that was hosted by its campus in Malacca.

Tan Sri Dr Sahol Hamid Abu Bakar told The Malaysian Insider to refer to the rector of UiTM's Malacca campus, Professor Dr Mohd Adnan Hashim, for information about the seminar.

"Kampus dah diberi autonomi. Cakap dgn rektor adnan (Campuses have been given autonomy. Speak to Rector Adnan)," Sahol said in a brief text message to The Malaysian Insider.

Sahol said this when asked to state his stand over the seminar, and asked to respond to a Christian group's criticism that the seminar was misleading.

Meanwhile, attempts to contact Adnan at the mobile number Sahol provided were unsuccessful. Calls went unanswered or were rejected, and Adnan did not respond to text messages from The Malaysian Insider.

Last weekend, UiTM Malacca hosted the seminar "Ancaman gerakan pemurtadan Kristianisasi" (Threat of the Christian proselytisation movement), with a Special Branch officer from Bukit Aman attending as a presenter.

The Malaysia Christian Youth Association on Tuesday said the seminar misled the public as it identified Christians as being a national threat, and questioned the police's involvement.

But Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said no law prevented the police from attending or giving talks at anti-Christian seminars.

Last year, UiTM Shah Alam was condemned for holding a seminar where participants were told that undercover Christian preachers were sent to Malaysia to convert Muslims.

The latest incident has prompted a lawyer to urge Putrajaya to reopen investigations against UiTM for holding a seminar which vilified the Christian faith last year.

The institution had, on May 6 last year, organised a seminar on the use of the word Allah and Christology, which featured speakers from Indonesia where the audience was told that undercover Christian priests had been sent to Malaysia under different guises, including working with Muslim children as football coaches, to proselytise and convert Muslims.

Several police reports were lodged against the organiser but no one has been charged yet, although the file is still open.

- TMI