PM Anwar says AI field in Malaysia needs to apply Islamic scholarly tradition

SHAH ALAM, June 1 — The field of artificial intelligence (AI) in Malaysia needs to be applied with the values of ‘turath Islam’ (Islamic scholarly tradition), and not completely guided by the Western model, said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.The prime minister said that the skills and development of AI progress in the country need to be filled with the treasures of knowledge and the legacy of Islam, to be used as a corpus (a collection of research materials) so that the development of technology goes hand in hand with ‘adab’ (manners) and ‘akhlak’ (morality).Anwar said that the knowledge contained in AI technology is currently based on materials from Western countries because the technology was developed by them.Advertisement“My concern in Malaysia, in developing AI, the values embedded (in AI) are Western values and thinking. Although AI is considered neutral as the whole corpus of knowledge can be included, and when there is a question, the answer appears to be complete.Therefore, he said that the Islamic intellectual tradition must be included so that the AI applied in Islamic countries does not stray from the Islamic moral system and values.Anwar said this when officiating the Riyadhu As-Salihin Appreciation Seminar, in conjunction with the Selangor Turath Islami Festival, at Dewan Syarahan and Muzakarah Islam in Shah Alam, today.AdvertisementAlso present were Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari; Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek; and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar.Anwar also commended the Selangor government for organising an Islamic heritage festival to revive the masterpieces of Islam, and at the same time nourish the culture of love of knowledge in the country.“What is being done in Selangor is interesting, and it maintains a tradition of (obtaining) knowledge in the old ways, such as pondok and sheikhs (teachers) come to read the book and discuss the contents.“In the world of social media now, knowledge (can be obtained) in one to three minutes. Whereas in Islam, the tradition of seeking knowledge, one must read, study and appreciate,” he said.Meanwhile, Amirudin said that Selangor is committed to mainstreaming ‘turath’ through the establishment of the Turath Academy, under the management of the State Mosque ― Masjid Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah.He said that the state government had also compiled a syllabus in the form of talaqqi, which is face-to-face learning, with teachers or religious scholars in mosques, and for a start, it would be implemented in nine districts in Selangor.“We are aware that in modernity and the limitations of time, especially when faced with political crisis, economic, social and globalisation crises, many of us are nearly drowned while searching for a branch to cling to, so that some of us fall into extremism, fanaticism and racism.“So the time has come for us to present something better than a fragile branch, and in this context, we present turath as a pillar to the people,” he said.At the event, the Prime Minister also launched the translation of Kitab Ihya’ Ulumuddin (five volumes) and 40 Hadith, into Malay, which are recommended to be taught in surau and mosques, as part of efforts to educate and provide understanding to the younger generation about the treasures of turath.The second edition of the Selangor Turath Islami Festival, from May 26 to tomorrow, aims to revive turath in the daily life of Muslims in the archipelago.The festival features the world’s leading scholars, namely the former Grand Mufti of Egypt, Professor Dr Ali Jum’ah, who picked the ‘Riyadhu as-Salihin’ and ‘40 Hadith’ by Al-Imam Yahya Sharaf al-Nawawi, to be studied and appreciated. — Bernama