ASSESSMENT OF THE READINESS LEVEL OF JAPANESESPEAKING MUSLIM STUDENTS FROM MALAYSIAN HIGHEREDUCATION INSTITUTIONS TO PERFORM DA’WAH

Da’wah is defined as the act of propagating Islam, and it is reportedly on the rise in Japan. In recent years, there has been a growing interest among Malaysian Muslim students in engaging in Da'wah in Japan. However, despite numerous studies on Da'wah activities, there is a void of information on Da’wah readiness. This study examines how Muslim Japanese-speaking tertiary learners from Malaysian higher education institutions perceive their readiness to perform Da’wah. A questionnaire was distributed to 150 Malaysian Muslim Japanese-speaking tertiary learners through purposive sampling. The questionnaire assessed their perceived readiness across five attributes essential for performing Da’wah: Islamic knowledge, persuasive communication skills, cultural awareness, media literacy, and motivation. The findings reveal that respondents generally perceive themselves to have low readiness for performing Da’wah in Japan. Consequently, structured efforts, such as training and workshops to strengthen these five attributes, are needed to enhance the preparation of Japanese-speaking Daeis or Islamic preachers