I was recently at a national primary school in Rawang to register my son for Standard One next year. While the children attended a diagnostics test, the parents were in the school canteen listening to a brief talk on the rules and regulations of the school.

When I looked around the school, I had a feeling that I was not in a national school but a religious school instead. On every side of the wall, there are Arabic text and Malay translations which are meant for Muslims only. One such text reads, "Segala puji bagi Allah yang telah memberi kami makan dan minum dan telah menjadikan kami sebagai orang Islam." (All praise for Allah who have given us food and drink and have made us Muslims)

While the above text states appreciation to God for our daily food, it was specifically meant for Muslim students. Why are religious messages created specifically for Muslim students only? What about students of other faiths? National schools are supposed to teach good values to all children regardless of their faith. These good values are the foundation for a caring society. If national schools start segregating students by their race and religion, can we blame students if they grow up to be racists and bigots with an extremely narrow view of the world?

I sense that there is something seriously amiss with the way religious instruction is being inculcated in national schools. Children should be taught to relate to other human beings without bias and judgment. They should be taught that everyone is equal in the eyes of God. I could not stop but think how subtle these discriminatory practices were and how my child could be affected by them. It certainly seems as if the future Malaysia looks very unpredictable for all the other non-Muslim anak Malaysia.