KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 17 ― Claims by some parties that more than 200 religious schools in Selangor have been ordered to close are not true, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs), Datuk Mohd Na'im Mokhtar.

Mohd Na'im, via a TikTok video clip, said that the claims were baseless and that the accusations were made by irresponsible parties.

"Claims by parties that a warning has been issued to the private religious schools and ordered to vacate the premises is completely untrue, and intended to cause anxiety among Muslims,” he said.

He also reminded the public to refer the issue to the authorities to get accurate and clear information.

Recently, an article was published on a local portal, which reported that a coalition of Islamic non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan voiced concern over religious schools in Selangor being issued closure warnings.

Mohd Na'im added that, following a fatal fire incident at a private religious school in Kuala Lumpur in 2017, the Selangor Private Religious School (Tahfiz Institution) Registration Guidelines were developed and enforced from Jan 1, 2021.

"It aims to ensure the safety and welfare of students and staff of private tahfiz institutions,” he said.

He said that the implementation of the initiative was a step to prevent a tragedy which claims lives from recurring at any religious school in Selangor.

He added that, at the same time, the enforcement of the guidelines has received cooperation from the Persatuan Institusi Tahfiz Al-Quran Selangor (PITAS), which is made up of 478 private religious schools.

He said that the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) has been informed that since 2021, the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS), through the state government, has determined that schools must meet the registration requirements through the guidelines issued.

"Flexibility has been given to the schools for two years. During this period, JAIS has issued extended registration to schools to give schools the opportunity to obtain feedback from the relevant agencies,” he said. ― Bernama