COMMENT | A few years ago, when my son was still studying at a secondary school in Kuala Lumpur, I received a letter from the school informing me about ‘Kem Kepimpinan Pelajar Islam’ (leadership camp for Islamic students) which was scheduled once a week, for several weeks, after school hours.

The letter, however, did not seek my consent as a parent and guardian to send the student under my care to the after school programme. Instead, it was more of an acknowledgement.

Knowing very well what takes place in such after school hours religious programmes, I wrote a letter to the school informing them that my son will not attend the programme and had assumed that since the school has been informed, my son would be excused from attending it. But I was wrong...