Delivering ‘khutbah’ in English never an issue, says Premier

KUCHING (Aug 12): Using English in ‘khutbah’ (sermon) should never be an issue, especially in view of the growing Muslim population here, including the ‘mualaf’ (Muslim converts).

In this respect, Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg views the English language as a communication tool, ‘just like Bahasa Malaysia’.

As such, he expresses regret over the attitude of certain quarters, who raise doubt about the usage of English as the medium of communication for the ‘khutbah’ in any mosque.

“Some have questioned why Sarawak uses English during the ‘khutbah’. What’s wrong with that? The important thing is that the members of the congregation understand what is being conveyed during the sermon.

“The English language is one of the tools for communication, especially in areas with a large number of ‘mualaf’,” he said in his speech for the launch of the state-level ‘Program Jelajah Madani Ulama dan Umara 2024’ at Wisma Sabati here yesterday.

Adding on, Abang Johari said the new mosque, to be built near The Spring Shopping Mall here, would use English as the medium for the Friday mass prayer’s ‘khutbah’.

“We (the Sarawak government) are taking this approach to make it easier for the congregation to understand the essence of the Friday prayer’s sermon.

“In my view, Islam is a religion open to everyone.”

On a separate subject, Abang Johari called for refinement of the roles of the ‘ulama’ (religious scholar) and ‘umara’ (administrator) in the state’s administration, in order to ensure quality and balanced education for the younger generation.

“We are the best ‘ummah’ (society), but to produce the best ‘ummah’, education is a very important element.”

In line with this, Abang Johari said he had established five international schools in Sarawak, all welcoming Muslim and non-Muslim students.

He also spoke about the plan to develop an international school specifically for Muslim students, with a syllabus based on the Al-Azhar University (Egypt) and Cambridge curricula, and carried out in collaboration with Singapore.

“We hope to produce 120 Muslims who not only have worldly knowledge, but also have good ‘hafazan’ (memorisation) of the Quran.

“This is the result of the educational policy that we emphasise in Sarawak,” he added.