JOHOR BARU: The state government supports the usage of jawi in official dealings and letters involving the Johor Islamic Religious Department from Jan 1.
Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal said it was part of an effort to empower the script.
“I fully support the effort by JAINJ or subsidiaries and any (dealings) involving JAINJ must be written in jawi (Arabic script for writing in Malay).
“This is a rather simple matter. For example, when we read Quran, we will be familiar with jawi and from there, we will improve in mengaji (reading Quran).
“I hope Johoreans, especially the Malay Muslims, will be well-versed in jawi,” he said after launching the state-level Maal Hijrah celebration at the Iskandar Islamic Centre here today.
State religious affairs, agriculture and rural development committee chairman Tosrin Jarvanthi said the usage of jawi in official dealings would also cover religious schools and district kadi offices.
“Texts of speeches will also be written in jawi,” he said, adding that a state jawi committee was being established to ensure that jawi would be upheld as a symbol of Muslims in Johor.
Also present were State Secretary Datuk Azmi Rohani, Johor mufti Datuk Yahya Ahmad and JAINJ director Datuk Md Rofiki Shamsudin.