The state of Selangor passed a legal amendment in 1989 that if an adult converts to Islam, any infant children become converted at the same moment. The ruling, read out amid a heavy police presence outside the courthouse in Kuching, Sarawak state, was made after four Muslims in that state appealed to the civil court to nullify their status as Muslims as they had embraced Christianity. [citation needed], In 2004 the Bar Council of Malaysia journal "Infoline" carried an article which questioned the need for the Azan as it was disturbing to non-Muslims and not needful. [63][64], On 10 December 2007, Malaysian authorities banned the Malay-language section of a Catholic weekly newspaper, The Catholic Herald due to its use of the word Allah, the name for God which Christians had used for hundreds of years in the country. In Selangor, the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988 was signed by the Sultan of Selangor into law forbidding non-Muslims from using the word "Allah"[4][5]. Moreover, its failure by the Ahmadis to comply with the terms of the order will result in imprisonment of up to one year and/or a fine up to 3000 Malaysian ringgit. In recent times, there has been a number of contentious issues and incidents which has tested the relationship between the different religious groups in Malaysia. The interim custody order of the High Court and proceedings were binding on the now Muslim husband as matters arising out of the Hindu marriage registered under the Law Reform Act. The police had traced the message to a lady who had met Harussani Zakaria, mufti of the state of Perak in a meeting. A large notice has been place outside the mosque which states Qadiani Bukan Agama Islam which translates to Qadiani [Ahmadiyyat] is not an Islamic Religion. Malaysia registers the religion of all its citizens and the ID card has each person’s religion printed on it. The report made several important recommendations which are aimed at addressing the challenges. Ochab works on the topic of genocide, with specific focus on persecution of religious minorities around the world, with main projects including Daesh genocide in Syria and Iraq, Boko Haram atrocities in West Africa, and the situation of religious minorities in South Asia. She married a Muslim. [91], The Metro Tabernacle, an Assemblies of God church in Desa Melawati, Kuala Lumpur was set on fire on 8 January 2010. Revathi was denied the guardianship of her new born baby and was not allowed to meet her Hindu husband. As the case has gained prominence various religious organisations, human rights organisations and women's issues organisations have registered watching briefs. The husband converted to Islam on 19 November 2002. PAS, member of parliament Dzulkefly Ahmad, stated that he is against religious pluralism saying that it has "relativised" truth claims, by implying that Islam is the same as other religions. Consequently, this results in non-Muslims not having legal standing in Syariah Courts. Religious minorities were reportedly relieved by the decision, but one advocacy group stated that the decision showed that the courts were "inconsistent in their protection" of non-Muslims. However, the situation in Malaysia goes far beyond “religious intolerance.” Indeed, the report makes it clear that many religious minorities face discrimination and persecution. [86], On 11 May 2006, armed city hall officers from Kuala Lumpur forcefully demolished part of a 60-year-old suburban temple that serves more than 1,000 Hindus. The Government opposes what it considers deviant interpretations of Islam, maintaining that the "deviant" groups' extreme views endanger national security. Having earned this advantage these charities are further disadvantage in that their prospective donors are discouraged from donating monies to these charities because the donors are given tax relief for up to 5% of their aggregate income only. [32], In the states Kelantan and Terengganu, apostasy by a Muslim is a crime punishable by death and forfeiture of property; however, federal law prohibits the death penalty from being carried out. A court in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has rejected religious conversion for marriage and personal benefit, describing it as unacceptable. The Herald meanwhile, filed suit at the beginning of December following warnings that its permit could be revoked if it did not cease use of the word "Allah" in the Malay language section of its newspaper. [65][66] Their reasoning is that the word Allah by Christians would confuse Malay Muslims. The issue was raised by the UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, following a visit to the country in September 2017. Temples in the urban areas are dedicated to a single deity whereas the temples in the rural are home to multiple gods. [7] In a sermon prepared by the Federal Territory Islamic Affairs Department (JAWI) it was stated that Jews are to be regarded as the main enemy of Muslims. En. The state of Pahang criminalizes the acts of “claiming to be a non-Muslim”, an “attempt to leave the religion of Islam”, or “declaring to leave the religion of Islam for any purpose.” The punishment includes “up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine of $1,218, or both, and to whipping of not more than six strokes.” The report indicates that “state laws do permit the act of renouncing Islam, though the implementation of these regulations in practice effectively prevents a Muslim from leaving the religion.”, Furthermore, despite assurances of the right to freedom of religion or belief in the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, Article 11(4) of the document has the effect of limiting proselytism. He stated "...the Muslim call for Subuh (dawn) prayer may disturb the sleep of non-Muslims but they have accepted this as a fundamental part of Islam. In April 2006, local authorities demolished several Hindu temples to make way for developmental projects. [8]. In 2017, the United Nations Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Karima Bennoune. Malaysia debate religious conversion law The Malaysian government’s recent announcement that it may reintroduce a clause preventing the conversion of children to Islam by one parent has sparked debate in the country. Haris Bin Mohamed Ibrahim has registered a watching brief on behalf of the Women's Aid Organisation, (WAO), All Women's Action Society (AWAM), Women's Center for Change, Penang (WCC) and Sisters in Islam (SIS). Furthermore, the requirement under sharia law is that disposition according to wills shall not benefit any person opposed to Islam as a religion. In the book, he also mentioned incidences of lobbying by some Muslims in his place of employment—a multinational oil company—to get his job terminated. [38] The Federal Court heard the appeal in July 2006, and it was presided by the Chief Justice of Malaysia Ahmad Fairuz Abdul Halim, Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Richard Malanjum, and Federal Court Judge Alauddin Sheriff. ). In a report addressed to the 2018 Universal Periodic Review, the Ethics and The equality of rights granted to both parents under the Guardianship of Infants Act, 1961 was held inapplicable on the Muslim father. lWong Ah Kiu, legally known as Nyonya binti Tahir, died on 19 January 2006. Khambali @ Hambali (PhD)2, … Practicing Christians are at times even registered as Muslims because of forced conversions, marriage arrangements, or clerical errors. The second is for a court declaration that the Archbishop as publisher of The Herald is entitled to use the word "Allah" and lastly, that the court should declare that the word "Allah" is not exclusive to the religion of Islam. KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia is reviewing its laws on religious conversion after a recent run of legal battles over freedom of worship inflamed tensions in the mainly Muslim nation, media said on Monday. [28], As Malaysia is a federation, certain matters, such as religion, are handled by state governments. [62] Muslim MPs accused him of being insensitive and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz blasted the DAP member for allegedly trying to destroy the multi-religious tolerance in the country. Indeed, as the report confirms “Ethnicity and religion have often been utilized by political parties to advance their agenda.”. These, if adequately implemented, could improve the situation of religious minorities like Shi’a and Ahmadiyah communities. Of course they can! This passed over the opposition of the Malaysian Chinese Association and the Democratic Action Party, and became law. Controversially, court rulings have assumed that all ethnic Malays must automatically satisfy this constitutional definition of a Malaysian Malay, and have therefore concluded that they must satisfy all of its requirements, so they have to be Muslim. In Malaysia, there is a rebate in income tax for money paid to the government in form of "zakat", or the obligatory alms Muslims must give to the poor. As of the 2010 Population and Housing Census, 61.3 percent of the population practices Islam; 19.8 percent Buddhism; 9.2 percent Christianity; 6.3 percent Hinduism; and 1.3 percent traditional Chinese religions. [30] Civil rights group G25 stated in January 2020 that, although apostasy is a 'major sin in Islam', Muslims have freedom of worship under the Federal Constitution, just like all other citizens of Malaysia, so the various state laws prohibiting apostasy should be struck down. [citation needed], In December 2004, Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Datuk Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim mentioned in an interview that the Azan may be disturbing. Practicing Christians are at times even registered as Muslims because of forced conversions, marriage arrangements, or clerical errors. [citation needed] The article was condemned because Azan is a religious requirement. Approximately nine percent of the population of Malaysia are Indians, of whom nearly 90 percent are practising Hindus. Malaysia is a Muslim majority country with significant religious minority populations of Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, and traditional Chinese religion practitioners. Joy further appealed to the Federal Court of Malaysia, the highest court and the court of last resort in Malaysia. The issue was raised by the UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, following a visit to the country in September 2017. [52] This discrimination received religious legitimacy in 1996 when the Fatwa Committee for Religious Affairs issued a religious opinion (fatwa) that upheld the “orthodoxy” of Sunni Islam and branded Shi‘a Islam as “deviant.” In doing so, it prohibited Shi‘a from spreading their beliefs and distributing any electronic or print resources that espoused Shi‘i principles. [6] In 1984 the New York Philharmonic Orchestra had to cancel its visit to Malaysia after the Malaysian Information Minister demanded that a composition by American-Jewish composer Ernest Bloch, be eliminated from their program. One of the terms of this agreement is that the sultans still are the ultimate authority of Islamic law in their respective states. [16][17] However the father Izwan Viran Abdullah abducted the son from the mother after the ruling,[18] and in which the police refused to help the mother retrieve the son citing the original Shariah custody ruling. However, the coalition government headed by Mahathir at the time held more than two-thirds of the seats in parliament. [60], The government generally respects non-Muslims' right of worship; however, state governments carefully control the building of non-Muslim places of worship and the allocation of land for non-Muslim cemeteries. The report identifies six main challenges pertaining to the right of freedom of religion or belief in Malaysia that are closely related to the special status of Islam and the consequential disadvantaged position of other religious groups: 1) discrimination against religious minorities; 2) limitations on the rights of children relating to personal matters governed by Islamic law; 3) discrimination against persons who wish to change or adopt a new religion; 4) criminalization and prosecution of proselytism among Muslims; 5) and prohibitions on the use of the word ‘Allah’ by non-Muslims; and 6) relationship with freedom of expression and the crime of sedition.”, These challenges are visible from the experiences of members of the Shi’a and Ahmadiyah communities. [68], The Catholic Church began its challenge of the government gag order prohibiting it from using the word "Allah" in its Herald-The Catholic Weekly- through a judicial review. In 2002 the government banned the Bible in Malay (Alkitab) and in Iban (Bup Kudus). [13] In the first hearing before the High Court, Shamala Sathiyaseelan sought (1) to bring committal proceedings against the father of the infants for breach of the interim custody order of the High Court of 17 April 2003, and (2) to declare that she was not bound by any decisions, order or proceedings of the syariah court. Justice Abdul Aziz and Justice Arifin Zakaria agreed that the NRD was correct in rejecting Joy's application and said it was up to the Syariah Court to settle the issue (Justice Gopal Sri Ram said it was null and void. In early 2005, much debate was stirred up by a proposed Inter-Faith Commission put forward by various individuals, some of which included academics and lawyers from the Bar Council. Muslims are not allowed to convert to other religions legally, but people of other faiths can convert to Islam. Three points that were raised in the lawsuit. 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