1. Malaysiakini.com (http://www.malaysiakini.com)
Gov't to act on Islamic conversion rows, 10 April 2008
The government today proposed new rules on converting to Islam, in a bid to prevent wrangles that have split families and incited racial tensions in this multicultural country.
"We are working on a law that non-Muslims who are converting to Islam must inform their spouse and family," Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said after meeting Islamic religious authorities.
"They will have to fill out a form and declare that they have informed their family of the pending conversion," he said.
The move follows a series of allegations of "body-snatching" by Islamic authorities, who have seized remains for burial according to Muslim rites, against the objections of non-Muslim family members.
The proposals are an olive branch to Malaysia's minority ethnic Chinese and Indians who are uneasy over rising "Islamisation" and have turned away from the government, which is dominated by Muslim Malays.
The coalition government's mis-handling of race issues is credited as one of the factors behind its drubbing in March 8 elections, when it lost a third of parliamentary seats and five states in its worst-ever results
Abdullah said there had been many cases where non-Muslims had converted to Islam quietly without informing their families. "This has resulted in a clash between religions when the person dies and the Islamic authorities try to claim the body but are opposed by family members who were not informed of the conversion," he said. "This has caused much ill-will among the various religions."
In the most recent case, an elderly ethnic Chinese man was buried as a Muslim in January after his Buddhist family lost a battle with Islamic authorities who said he had converted.
Police seized the body of Gan Eng For after his eldest son - himself a Muslim convert - said he had switched to the religion. Other family members said that was impossible because he was senile and paralysed from strokes.
In many instances the rows have been decided by Islamic syariah courts, where non-Muslim family members argue they do not get a fair hearing.
(AFP)
2. AP (Associated Press) (http://ap.gppgle.com)
New Malaysia Rule on Islamic Conversion, 11 April 2008
by JULIA ZAPPEI
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia will soon require non-Muslims to inform their family before converting to Islam, a move welcomed Friday by minority religious groups who said it will help ease ethnic and interfaith tensions.
The planned rule is aimed at preventing the kind of religious disputes that have frequently erupted in this multireligious country after the death of ethnic Chinese or Indian converts. In many cases families were unaware of the conversions, and were angered when Islamic authorities seized the bodies for Muslim burial.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced after meeting Islamic authorities Thursday that the government wanted to avoid such controversies. "If people want to convert, there is nothing wrong, why must they hide?" he was quoted as saying by The Star daily.
Anger over religious discrimination, including the destruction of Hindu temples by the state, partly led to the ruling National Front coalition's heavy losses in last month's general elections.
Abdullah said Muslim converts would have to produce documents stating they had told their family members. He didn't say when the new rule will come into force. "We do not want the religious department saying the deceased was a Muslim but the family members disputing it because he or she converted on the quiet," Abdullah was quoted by the national news agency Bernama as saying.
Abdullah's aides could not immediately be reached Friday. Minority religious groups cautiously welcomed the announcement. "It's a move in the right direction," said A. Vaithilingam, president of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism. But he expressed caution about the policy before knowing "the real details."
Islam is Malaysia's official religion, but non-Muslims — mostly ethnic Chinese and Indians — make up 40 percent of the population and generally practice their religions freely. However, non-Muslims have often complained that Islamic authorities refuse to look at interfaith disputes with compassion while flaunting their powers over minorities.
Vaithilingam also said the new requirement won't address other issues, such as conversions out of Islam, which are rarely granted, and the dual system of Shariah law and secular courts for civil matters.
In interfaith disputes involving Muslims, the Islamic Shariah courts often get the last word, which has infuriated non-Muslims who say they do not get fair justice in those courts.
The new move is apparently aimed at showing the minorities that the government cares about them even though large numbers of Chinese and Indians voted against it in the March 8 elections.
The historic polls returned Abdullah's National Front coalition to power but with a greatly reduced majority. It lost 82 of 222 parliamentary seats and five of 13 states in its worst showing since independence in 1957.
Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
3. Economic Times (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com)
Malaysian move on conversion welcomed, 12 April 2008
KUALA LUMPUR: Two major political parties, besides representatives of the bar and religious groups have supported the government's proposed move for a law that any non-Muslim seeking to convert to Islam must inform the family in writing.
The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) that has spoken for the 33 percent ethnic Chinese population since the country became free and the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) welcomed the move Friday.
There is no word yet from the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) that, like MCA, is part of the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN) and speaks for the eight percent ethnic Indians.
MIC is currently afflicted by dissensions following last month's poll debacle.
Malaysia has a majority Muslim population and Islam is the official religion.
In announcing the proposal Thursday, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the absence of a ruling concerning non-Muslims resulted in problems like the oft-reported disputes over religious burial rites when a convert dies. He said those who wanted to convert to Islam must inform their family through a form or letter declaring that their family had been told.
There had been a number of such cases highlighted in the press over the years, some of which had ended up in litigation, The Sun newspaper noted Saturday.
Opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP)'s Indian origin chief Karpal Singh said: "This move is necessary to avert any misunderstanding when claims are made to bodies of non-Muslims who have converted to Islam when they die." "What is more important, and which requires to be addressed immediately, is the necessity of making it easier for non-Muslims who have converted to Islam, to revert to their original religions, in keeping with freedom of religion if they so desire, as guaranteed under the Federal Constitution," said the lawyer-lawmaker.
"As the position stands, non-Muslim converts are required to resort to the Sharia Court to renounce Islam, and are further required to undergo rehabilitation. In my view, no obstacle should be placed in the way of non-Muslim converts who wish to renounce Islam," he added. Karpal Singh urged the government to relax the requirement for non-Muslim converts to go to the Sharia Court to renounce Islam. "There is considerable concern and disquiet among non-Muslim converts who wish to renounce Islam," said Karpal Singh
MCA president Ong Ka Ting welcomed the move. "MCA's stand has been consistent in pushing for such a move. However, we would like to seek clarification on the process of implementation of such a requirement." Ong sought a time period for the intending convert to inform the family members and that the process should be 'transparent'. "The court also must not allow the unilateral conversion of any minor children resulting from the civil marriage. The court should not view this as a loophole as the religion of the child should remain status quo until he/she attains the age of majority," Ong said.
Bar Council's Indian origin woman chief, Ambiga Sreenevasan called it "an important first step".
Islamic religious authorities must be satisfied that the family members have been duly notified. "They should require documented proof of such a notification. A self-declaratory document from the intending convert will not suffice," she added.
A. Vaithilingam, the Indian origin chief of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism said: "This is a positive first step in ensuring that our laws and system of administration are not abused by those wanting to avoid their obligations to their loved ones by converting to Islam." He recommended that there should be "black-and-white proof" of notification from the convert.
(End)
