Kuala Lumpur: Media practitioners, especially those from foreign outlets, must always respect Malaysia’s cultural, religious, and constitutional sensitivities when reporting on issues involving local communities. The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM), in a statement today, expressed serious concern over an unsubstantiated report by a foreign news portal, which alleged that the religious agency was involved in coercing non-Muslim students to convert to Islam during a university orientation programme.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the department emphasized that further clarification on this issue has already been provided by the university in an official statement released earlier. JAKIM stressed that any report should be based on verified sources with clear evidence to prevent misunderstandings and social tension.

The department advised all parties to be more cautious and responsible when reporting news to preserve the religious harmony that Malaysia has long enjoyed. JAKIM urged all parties to uphold the Federal Constitution, which serves as the foundation and guiding principle of the nation.

The statement referred to an article published by a foreign news portal on Jan 16, titled ‘Malaysian Government, JAKIM Allegedly Coercing Students To Convert To Islam,’ which accused the Malaysian government and JAKIM of using coercive tactics to pressure non-Muslim students into embracing Islam during university orientation.

Earlier, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) had denied claims that it forced non-Muslim students to participate in Islamic-related programmes during the ‘Jati Diri dan Kerohanian’ series 20 on Jan 11. According to UiTM, the programme, held at the Al-Wathiqu Billah Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin mosque in UiTM Shah Alam, involved 2,447 first-semester students, including 34 non-Muslim students enrolled in the National Kesatria 1, Expedition 1 and Band 1 co-curricular courses.