KUALA LUMPUR: The act of a school teacher setting an Israeli flag on fire in a recent viral video has ignited concerns about the extent to which certain schools are willing to push boundaries during the Education Ministry-sanctioned 'Palestine Solidarity Week'.
The video depicts a man, believed to be a teacher from the Islamic religious school in Padang Terap, Kedah, resorting to a violent act as a means of expressing solidarity with the Palestinians amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
The teacher could be seen launching a flaming arrow at the Israeli flag on the school ground, all the while being surrounded by schoolchildren, with chants of "Allahu Akbar" and "takbir" resonating in the background.
Notably, this is not the first incident of its kind.
Another viral video recently created a stir on social media, showing an event at a school where one of the school staff, garbed in military-like gear and brandishing a toy gun, as teachers and pupils in school uniform looked on.
Among the teachers, one held a sign while others displayed Palestinian flags or had Palestine-themed scarves covering their faces and shoulders.
Others at the event were also seen holding toy rifles.
Several screenshots from social media also showed children at a school in Klang wearing green bandanas with "Save Palestine" written on their foreheads as they carried toy guns.
On Thursday, the ministry announced said that it would be holding a Palestine Solidarity Week from Oct 29 to Nov 3.
This, it said, would involve all educational institutions under the ministry, including schools, vocational and matriculation colleges, as well as teacher training institutes nationwide.
The ministry said the initiative's primary objective was to instil humane values, encompassing human rights and courtesy, among students.
This, it said, would be done by fostering attitudes of empathy and concern for the suffering of individuals, irrespective of their race, religion, or social status.
The New Sunday Times, in its report today, quoted concerned political parties and the Parent Action Group for Education (Page), urging the Education Ministry to reconsider its decision to organise Palestine Solidarity Week in schools and public education institutions, scheduled to begin today.
While some political parties have called for the program to be better supervised to prevent the glorification of violence, educational groups believe it should be limited to secondary schools.
DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke called on the ministry to take disciplinary action against schools that displayed elements of violence and extremism during the Palestine solidarity week.
Loke expressed concern about over the organisation of the programme, with some schools seen propagating violence and extremism with the use of toy weapons.
Page chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim pointed out that the vague circular issued by the ministry's Public School Management Division might have led to confusion about over what was permitted during the Palestine solidarity week.
She stressed that parents needed to have conversations with their children on the importance of peace, how war affected families, and that global peace was paramount for countries to cherish.