MT Letter – Equal religious rights
Dear Sir,
Article 11 of the federal constitution says every person has the right to profess and practice his own religion. Every person has the right to propagate his religion, but state law and, in respect of the Federal Territories, federal law may control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among Muslims. There is, however, freedom to carry on missionary work among non-Muslims. All of us have been created by the same God who is so merciful towards us. We should respect the equality which was created by the same God too. None of us was created with blue blood or without a skull and without a nervous system. So inequality in the law creates hatred among citizens in the long term.
Muslims have protected their freedom of religion by having the shariah court and Islamic law which can restrict a Muslim from giving up the religion. But to convert another race into Islam doesn’t have any restriction in Malaysia. This inequality is simply an example of domination. In a recent case, a Hindu lady who has two kids had a husband who converted to Islam. Without the mother’s knowledge both kids were converted to Islam by the newly converted father. This case didn’t end there. The converted father or husband kidnapped the son without the knowledge of the mother. Even after police reports, the converted father and the kidnapping has been supported by the Islamic religious department. To separate young calves from a mother cow is already a sin, what about kidnapping kids from their mother with the help of double standard laws?
With due respect, Malaysian Buddhist Association, Hindu Sangam and Prime Minister Umno-led government should find better solutions. I personally would suggest that every Buddhist or Hindu who would like to convert either to Islam or Christianity should undergo a special course to understand his/her present religion and after that file a case in civil court for pre-conversion. This will make the law equal to avoid body snatching, kidnapping, conversion without family concern and skin attraction marriages. End of the day all of us are human beings and we should be treated equally.
I urge Malaysian Buddhist Association, Hindu Sangam and Sikh foundation to protect the right of every believer in your faith. Our Malaysian citizens are unique in this world because we live in harmony. The inequality in the system should not create hatred in the hearts of other faiths. To safeguard peacefulness and harmony it is the responsibility of every religious authority association. Without taking any action and ignoring the situation, it will create a great impact for future generations.
Article 153 Stipulates that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, acting on Cabinet advice, has the responsibility for safeguarding the special position of the Malays and the indigenous peoples of Sabah and Sarawak, and the legitimate interests of all the other communities. It is clearly stated in the Article 153 that our Yang di-Pertuan Agong has the legitimate interests of all the other communities.So by creating a system of pre conversion of Non Muslims and Christian it doesn’t create chaos whereas it creates a harmonious Malaysia in the interests of our Agong.
The ball is the court of Non-Muslim Associations and NGOs to create a better Malaysia. Otherwise it will create an imbalanced society which leads to cancerous dissatisfaction. All civilised society please give more suggestions and urge our government to implement a law for all. I am sure this doesn’t suppress Article 11 mentioned above.
Saravanan Forever
