Firestorm in Malaysia over religous conversion
"In rulings in her case, civil courts said Malays could not renounce Islam because the Constitution defined Malays to be Muslims.
They also ruled that a request to change her identity card from Muslim to Christian had to be decided by the Shariah courts. There she would be considered an apostate, and if she did not repent she surely would be sentenced to several years in an Islamic center for rehabilitation.
...
One such place, hidden in the forest at Ulu Yam Baru, 20 miles outside the capital, is ringed like a prison by barbed wire, with dormitories protected by a second ring of barbed wire. Outside a sign says, ?House of Faith,? and inside the inmates spend much of their time studying Islam. " (NY Times)
This is definitely weird. Why can't people convert their faith? In the neighbouring Indonesia, which is the largest Muslim country in the world, a conversion to and from Islam would not have caused such a stirring controvery.
They also ruled that a request to change her identity card from Muslim to Christian had to be decided by the Shariah courts. There she would be considered an apostate, and if she did not repent she surely would be sentenced to several years in an Islamic center for rehabilitation.
...
One such place, hidden in the forest at Ulu Yam Baru, 20 miles outside the capital, is ringed like a prison by barbed wire, with dormitories protected by a second ring of barbed wire. Outside a sign says, ?House of Faith,? and inside the inmates spend much of their time studying Islam. " (NY Times)
This is definitely weird. Why can't people convert their faith? In the neighbouring Indonesia, which is the largest Muslim country in the world, a conversion to and from Islam would not have caused such a stirring controvery.
posted by Dody G. at 10:17 AM
5 Comments:
Indeed, it is not fair...But as pointed out by the article, law is one of the main barreers that the court faced...As you said it is ironic that you can such thing in the biggest Muslim country, Indonesia, and not in Malaysia...Talking about such ironies, I wanted to share with you this article about Stem Cell research which, I was, myself surprised, to learn that it was widely approved and encouraged by the Iranian government, despite its relegious conservatism, while it is facing huge challenges in the US.
Enjoy reading!!!
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/22/news/stem.php
Six months before Khamenei approved the research, President George W. Bush sharply restricted U.S. government funding for such work because it required destroying human embryos, a move spurred by religious conservatives who equate the research with murder.
The decision by Bush means that vital government funding is available only for work on embryonic stem cell lines established before August 2001, a rule that scientists say sharply constricts research
...
Royan has brought some top foreign doctors to Iran. Dr. Sarah Berga, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Emory University in Atlanta, spoke at a Royan conference in 2004.
Berga recalled her astonishment when - wrapped in the unfamiliar head covering and long jacket that Iranian law requires women to wear - she heard a video presentation explain that embryonic stem cell research was permissible under Islam.
"The irony of it was just incredible," Berga said recently. "This is what I wish our attitude to stem cell research would be."
11:43 AM
dody, has there been any similar incidents like this in Indonesia?
I think there's a huge mix up about what heppens to those who choose not to become muslims anymore.
In old times when the Muslims were fighting against the non-believers in Mecca, someone reverting from Islam would join the enemy lines and dispose of secrets of war - in that case he/she were killed to avoid this situation.
This is really far from the truth now.
12:21 PM
I really would like to see someone from Malaysia to respond to this one. What's the law is like there? Are Muslims there being regulated by the shariah law, differentiated from the the rest of the community (ie. non-Muslims)?
3:32 PM
Disclaimer: This is my feedback from my little interest in my countries politics:
I'm a Malaysian and non muslim. In summary.. 60% muslims, 30% chinese, 10% indians and aborigines. In a nutshell; Muslims run the politics, chinese runs the business, indians are usually professionals. The syariah laws does not apply to non muslim. As ironic as it sounds, its true that the goverment decides your faith. But news such as the one in nytimes does not get published here. Most liberal and open minded muslim of my/our generation (above average/ rich background) would have already left the country or would not risk their families reputation and wealth to bring up a case like this. We have had the same government for 47 years now with hardly any opposition. If Malaysian muslims feels the same way that most nomads here does, they should speak up. I (bcos I am not a muslim) residing here cannot represent their views.
1:21 AM
it's 49 years of independence from the British.
1:25 AM
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