Malaysia

[Reimagine Curator]

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 217 | Wed 03 Jul 2013

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MALAYSIA: MOVE TO LEGALISE FORCED CONVERSION OF MINORS
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by Elizabeth Kendal

In early 2009 there was an outcry in Malaysia after three children born to
an Indian Hindu couple were converted to Islam by the father without the
mother's consent after he converted to Islam. At that time, the Cabinet
discussed the case and decided that the children of an estranged couple
should remain in the 'common religion of the parents at the time of their
marriage'. In Malaysia, Cabinet decisions are essentially unwritten laws
that civil servants are obliged to implement. Despite the April 2009
Cabinet decision, Islamic officials have continued to convert minors at
the request of one parent, without the consent of the other. For example,
in April 2013 an estranged husband, who converted from Hinduism to Islam
in prison, secretly took his two children aged 5 and 8 to an Islamic
Centre where they were officially converted to Islam and given Islamic
names. When their Hindu mother sought redress she was told that because
her children were now Muslims she would have to go through the Sharia
courts. Believing that to be futile and possibly even dangerous, in early
June she opted instead to lodge a complaint with the police. This case
triggered a fresh outcry when it was exposed in the media. [Note: in
Islam, the Islamic State determines and manages a person's religion; it is
not a matter of personal freedom.]

In Malaysian politics, a draft law or 'bill' is discussed and approved by
the Cabinet before it is submitted to the Parliament. Yet on Wednesday 26
June a bill permitting the unilateral conversion of minors into Islam went
to the Parliament without first going to the Cabinet. The bill would
further Islamise Malaysian law. If passed, the Administration of the
Religion of Islam (Federal Territories) Bill 2013 will replace the 1993
Act. This bill provides that a minor may be converted to Islam by 'his
parent' (singular). The bill uses the same language as the Constitution
which clarifies, however, that 'parent' may be interpreted as 'parents'
where both parents are alive.

Because the bill bypassed the Cabinet it was introduced into Parliament
without any scrutiny from the Cabinet's non-Muslim members, leaving non-
Muslim MPs feeling betrayed and marginalised. Malaysia is 50 percent
ethnic Malay and 60 percent Muslim, but a significant proportion of those
Muslims would be nominal or secular. The government was wrong if it
thought it could get passage of this bill by stealth, for the bill has
caused an outcry, particularly amongst Malaysia's non-Muslims. Despite
this, the government is standing firm. On 1 July Deputy Prime Minister Tan
Sri Muhyiddin Yassin insisted that the bill would proceed despite it being
contrary to the April 2009 Cabinet decision, maintaining it is based on
the Constitution, court precedents and present realities.

The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) has slammed the 'stealthy' tabling
of the bill. As MCA vice president Gan Ping Sieu notes, 'It contains
controversial provisions that affect the constitutional and religious
rights of the non-Muslim. This will seriously and irredeemably affect the
religious harmony and national unity of our country.' According to the
Malaysian Bar Council President, Christopher Leong, the unilateral
conversion of minors is unconstitutional. Roman Catholic Bishop Paul Tan
Chee Ing comments: 'I understand this amendment contravenes a decision by
the Cabinet announced on 23 April, 2009 that a single parent cannot
convert a minor. If so, this would not be the first time that the Cabinet
is overridden by civil service functionaries - the main drivers of
creeping Islamisation in this country.'

It is not uncommon to find non-Muslims (including nominal and backsliding
Christians) converting to Islam for personal gain: in particular, men
convert to Islam so they can take another wife. If passed, this bill will
legalise the forced conversion of non-Muslim children. As the bill states:
'From the moment of his conversion, a mualaf (convert) becomes subject to
the same duties and obligations as any other Muslim.' For the sake of
vulnerable children, we must pray against this bill.

'Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such
belongs the kingdom of heaven.' (Jesus: Matthew 19:14 ESV)

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT -

* the Spirit of the Lord will arouse passionate indignation in all
  Malaysians who treasure personal liberty and the fundamental human
  rights of children, so that this bill will not pass and the loopholes
  will be tightened to protect vulnerable children from Islamic mischief.

* God will halt the Islamisation of Malaysia and that the Malaysian
  Church looks to the Lord of Hosts who has promised to be 'strength to
  those who turn back the battle at the gate' (from Isaiah 28:5,6 ESV).

* our faithful Lord Jesus Christ will establish justice for all Christian
  children and parents who have been robbed through Islamic mischief, not
  only in Malaysia, but in Egypt (where it is common) and throughout the
  Islamic world.

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Ramadan commences on 9 July and will run through to 7 August. Please pray
for Muslims during the 30 days of Ramadan. For resources, visit
http://www.30-days.net/

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SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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MOVE TO LEGALISE FORCED CONVERSION OF MINORS IN MALAYSIA

On 26 June a bill that would further Islamise Malaysian law went to the
parliament. It provides that a minor may be converted to Islam by 'his
parent' (singular) without the consent of the other parent. Thus a parent
who (for whatever reason of self-interest) has converted to Islam could
get their children registered as Muslims. (Christian parents and children
suffer this mischief throughout the Islamic world.) The government was
wrong in thinking it could get the bill through by stealth as it has
caused an outcry, particularly amongst non-Muslims. May the Malaysian
Church, amidst all this, look to the Lord of Hosts to be her strength.
Please pray against this bill, for the sake of Malaysia, its children, the
Church and all others vulnerable in this situation.

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This RLPB was written for the Australian Evangelical Alliance Religious
Liberty Commission (AEA RLC) by Elizabeth Kendal, an international
religious liberty analyst and advocate, and a member of the AEA RLC team.

Elizabeth Kendal is the author of
'Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah speaks to Christians today'
(Deror Books, Dec. 2012) http://turnbackthebattle.com/thebook.html

Elizabeth is Adjunct Research Fellow in the Centre for the Study of Islam
and Other Faiths at the Melbourne School of Theology. She is Director of
Advocacy for Christian Faith & Freedom based in Canberra, Australia.

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