He said when people have limited knowledge, they become vulnerable to accepting any viewpoints presented to them, consequently falling into the trap of narrow-mindedness.
“When our knowledge is limited and people say that if we don’t do this, we will (sin and) go to hell, all we ask is if it’s true. We wouldn’t dare to ask further.
“At the end of the day, we are trapped in conservative and narrow-minded thinking and tend to be judgmental of others,” he said in his opening address at the 2023 National Book Award event at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (Upsi) in Tanjung Malim today, Bernama reported.
Also present were Perak menteri besar Saarani Mohamad, higher education minister Zambry Abdul Kadir and National Book Development Foundation board of governors chairman Abdul Latiff Abu Bakar. The event was attended by over 5,000 Upsi students.
Anwar said to boost their knowledge, students and the younger generation should foster the habit of reading books. This will help them enhance their knowledge and keep abreast of developments in emerging fields of study.
“If we want to advance and want to make this country a civilised nation, we must enhance our knowledge and compete with other countries. With the culture of reading to gain knowledge, Malaysia will transform itself into a great nation.”
Anwar also voiced concern about the current generation’s susceptibility to embracing brief and incomplete ideas presented on social media.
He said topics such as economics and national policies required in-depth exploration and consideration of complex perspectives, taking into account the concept of “Al-Kuliyah”.
“The concept of Al-Kuliyah is that knowledge should be mastered in-depth and extensively, not just a brief overview on social media or formulated in a one or two-minute talk on TikTok.”
He said the older generations should also continue seeking new knowledge in line with the advancements of current technology, including artificial intelligence.
At the event, Anwar approved an allocation of RM250,000 for the National Book Development Foundation.
He also announced an allocation of RM25 million for the construction of 18 additional blocks to accommodate students at Upsi.