Malaysian Religious Affairs Minister Refutes False Claims About School Closures

Malaysian authorities have firmly denied rumors circulating on social media that religious schools in Kedah and Kelantan states face government-ordered closures. Religious Affairs Minister Mohd Na’im Mokhtar has categorically rejected these claims as “false, malicious and defamatory.”

The unfounded allegations emerged against a backdrop of recent high-profile incidents in Malaysian educational institutions, including cases of bullying, violence, and serious crimes. Despite these troubling events, no broad directive to shutter religious schools has been issued by federal authorities.

“I strongly reject the claims circulating on social media that the Federal Government or my ministry will order the closure of religious schools (pondok) that are unregistered in Kelantan and Kedah,” Mohd Na’im stated in an official Facebook post on October 23. “No order for the closure of the religious school (pondok) has been issued.”

The misinformation began spreading when social media posts falsely claimed that unregistered religious schools, known locally as “pondok,” would be forced to close in the two predominantly Muslim northern states. One viral post featured a photograph of Minister Mohd Na’im alongside text suggesting imminent closures, accompanied by critical commentary questioning the minister’s priorities.

A fact-check revealed the photograph had been repurposed from the minister’s August 27 Facebook post about a Quran recitation event in Kuala Lumpur. The image had no connection to any school closure announcement.

While there was a single case in Kelantan where the Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIK) temporarily closed one religious boarding school for operating without proper registration, this isolated incident has been misrepresented as part of a broader crackdown.

The controversy comes at a sensitive time for Malaysia’s education system, which has been rocked by several disturbing incidents receiving nationwide attention. These cases have triggered public concern about student safety and prompted debates about school accountability and oversight.

Religious schools, or “pondok,” hold significant cultural and educational importance in Malaysia, particularly in states like Kelantan and Kedah where Islamic education is deeply valued. These institutions often operate independently from the national education system, focusing on religious instruction alongside academic subjects.

The false claims sparked considerable controversy, prompting Minister Mohd Na’im to take decisive action. On October 28, he demanded a public apology from one Facebook user who had promoted the misinformation. The individual subsequently acknowledged the falsehood and issued a formal apology on November 4.

Malaysian authorities have increasingly confronted the challenge of misinformation on social media platforms, particularly when it involves sensitive topics related to religion and governance. False claims can spread rapidly across digital networks, creating confusion and potentially inflaming tensions before corrections can be widely circulated.

This incident highlights the ongoing struggle to maintain factual integrity in public discourse, especially regarding matters that intersect education policy and religious affairs in Malaysia’s diverse and complex social landscape.

As of November 12, no evidence supports claims of widespread religious school closures in either Kelantan or Kedah, despite the persistence of these rumors on various social media platforms.