Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Islamic Association (USIA) will not be tempted to get involved in public activities or promote ideas that might be considered extreme, says President, Datuk Sapawi Haji Ahmad.
“We want to be nice and work in goodwill with everyone in Sabah, for the fact that Usia members consists of various political parties.
“We welcome all Muslims, irrespective of his or her position or political alignment, to contribute in whatever capacity to Usia,” he said.
He said, being the largest Islamic organisation in the state, Usia’s priority is to look after the interest and welfare of the Muslim community in the state, in line with its original goals of establishment.
“But of course, as a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Usia also believes in reaching out to other communities, especially non-Muslims,” he said.
Sapawi said, after 54 years of its establishment, it was important to empower Usia’s roles and functions to make it more visible to the public and respected by other communities.
“More importantly, Usia’s roles, especially its Islamic dakwah activities need to be understood and accepted by the public, including the government, government agencies and NGOs.
“I must also say that the method of Islamic preaching in the past was not the same as the current situation, so we in Usia need to do it to suit the present situation and in the context of diversity,” he said when speaking at Usia’s 37th Annual General Meeting here Saturday.
Sapawi said Usia also wants to have a meaningful and working partnership with the State Government.
“As an Islamic body and NGO, it’s very appropriate for Usia to support the State Government’s Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya development policy, particularly in human capital development.
“For this purpose, we (Usia) will use its Pusat Latihan Dakwah at Kampung Marasinsim, in Kota Marudu, to conduct certain programmes, particularly technical, vocational and education training (TVET),” he said.
He said Usia had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (OU) with Institut Kemahiran Islam Darul Ridzuan (IKDAR) to conduct the TVET training.
Sapawi said Usia is currently implementing its Pelan Strategik Pembugaran Usia, basically proactive initiatives to reinvigorate and diversify its core business.
More than 350 Usia members from 29 divisions throughout the State attended the AGM.
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