Dayak community wants teachers sacked for attempting to Islamise Christian girl

 By Simon Peter

MIRI, March 29, 2015 . - About 100 members of the Dayak community yesterday marched to SMK Lutong where they submitted a strongly-worded memorandum to the school's Parents-Teacher' Association, demanding that the Education Ministry immediately sack the teachers involved in attempting to Islamise an under-aged schoolgirl two weeks ago.

The memorandum was received by the school's PTA president Ahmad Shukri, who was then chairing the PTA's annual general meeting.

Members of the Dayak community protesting outside the school's gates yesterday

Speaking on behalf of the Dayak community, Walter Sela said they want the Education Ministry to take disciplinary action against teachers involved in attempting to Islamise Sabrina Ngumbang, a Form One student of SMK Lutong or to send them back to Malaya.

"These teachers are supposed to teach, but they do something else," Sela said to reporters.

He believed that these teachers would try another time to Islamise the Christian students, especially those who are from poor families.

Sela also said they want the school's PTA to monitor the activities of the religiously-inclined teachers so they would not covertly attempt to convert the Christian students.

"We believe that these teachers are taking advantage of the trust of the parents that the school is the safest place for their children," he said.

Sela added that the teachers should respect the constitutional rights and religious freedom of the Christian students.

"These students, who place high trust on their teachers, must be allowed to practise their Christian faith without interference," he said.

He also called on the school's PTA to help poor Dayak students to seek government welfare fund so they will not be easily sweet-talked into giving up their Christian faith.

"From past experiences, we found that students from poor families were often promised of financial welfare assistance by teachers who want to Islamise them," he claimed.

He felt the PTA of SMK Lutong is in better position to help the poor students.

"We also appeal to the school authority to allow the Dayak community to take care of the religious needs of the Christian students of the school," he added.

 Sabrina, 13, lodged a report with the police station in Lutong on March 25, stating that on March 14 at about 2.30pm, she and five other students were taken by a school teacher to a house in Kuala Baram in Miri.

At the house, the students were allegedly taken into a room where they were taught to recite a Muslim prayer, and thereafter given a cash award of RM200 each.

She also asked that the authorities of her school stop two of its religious teachers from disturbing her as it disturbed her studies.

The police report against the school located some 11km from Miri has since gone viral on social media.

Both teachers are believed to be from Peninsular Malaysia.

The girl said she was also told that her conversion would be made official on March 16 when the Islamic religious department office opened.