Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Idris Ahmad speaks to reporters at Putrajaya September 1, 2021. — Bernama pic
PUTRAJAYA, Nov 28 — The Keluarga Malaysia (Malaysian Family) concept should be embraced as a method in preserving dakwah efforts in the country, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs), Idris Ahmad.
He said that the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), together with the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM), and several lecturers had been tasked to formulate content in the ‘Keluarga Malaysia, Keluarga Sejahtera’ (Prosperous Malaysian Family) context.
“The content that was launched last Friday is about what we need to fill in the context of ‘Keluarga Malaysia, Keluarga Sejahtera’,” he said.
He said this in a meeting with leaders of the Malaysian Islamic Charity Council and Islamic non-governmental organisations (NGOs), organised by Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (Yadim), today.
Idris said that the Malaysian Family was an important component in supporting the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030, therefore the government and Islamic NGOs needed to unite to maintain and strengthen the consensus and harmony that has long been a practice in the country.
“In the context of our country, despite different backgrounds and cultures, NGOs need to celebrate inclusiveness and differences, and uphold the spirit of Malaysia as a plural society, an asset that needs to be safeguarded,” he said.
He hoped that Yadim and Islamic NGOs would embrace the “Keluarga Malaysia, Keluarga Sejahtera” concept, and further motivate and highlight such spirit among the community.
Meanwhile, Yadim president Nasrudin Hassan said that the meeting was aimed at uniting the leadership as well as discussing and finding consensus towards resolving issues related to the ummah.
He said that among the suggestions raised was that the dakwah channel should be expanded by using social media and language diversification so that information and dakwah could be conveyed to a wider audience.
He added that in terms of language diversification, the effort should go beyond English, and if possible, in Mandarin and Tamil, as well as other languages that cover the plural society in Malaysia, without downplaying the role of the national language.
“We will prioritise the national language, but for access at the international level or for minorities, we can make it as part of dakwah efforts by diversifying the languages used,” he said. — Bernama