Anglican schools in Sarawak will not take part in government protests over the war in the Middle East, the bishop of Kuching, the Rt. Rev. Danald Jute has said.
The Borneo Post reports Bishop Jute appealed to the respective principals, headmasters and headmistresses in Sarawak to exercise restraint on any matter involving the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
“We are rightly outraged by the atrocities committed by both sides. Yet, we are of the mind that the Ministry of Education Malaysia and Sarawak Education Department should not waste their time, energy and resources in organising such an event and to expect teachers and students to participate in it,” he said.
“The Ministry of Education need only focus on its core business and not drag our young kids into this complex conflict and sully their young minds by way of drumming in upon them a one-sided narrative, even worse, to put out an unsubstantiated storyline as though it were true fact,” BIshop Jute told the Post.
BIshop Jute said he believed the Palestinian people deserve better, both from their own leaders as well as the Israeli authority, and called for a peaceful resolution to the conflict and for a ceasefire so that food, water and vital medical supplies can be safely delivered to the displaced civilians in Gaza.
“We believe that children must be taught to respect one another irrespective of one’s religious and ethnic backgrounds. Children must be reminded that in all wars, there are no winners —only death and suffering.
“For that, we must stand in solidarity with all the innocent victims on all sides. Let us pray and work for peace,” he told Anglican school leaders.
