Council of Churches of Malaysia （http://www.ccmalaysia.org)
CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF INTERFAITH ENGAGEMENT
The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) held their 25th Anniversary Dinner on 6th August, at the HGH Convention Centre Sentul , Kuala Lumpur.
Over a thousand people representing people from the different religious communities were present to attend the function.
The guest of honor was the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. With him two other cabinet ministers were present, namely Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, and Dato Teng Boon Soon, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Unity, Arts, Culture and Heritage.The theme of celebration was : “Many Faiths; One Nation; Our Vision for Malaysia.”
Datuk Vaithilingam, the current President of the MCCBCHST, emphasized the value of interfaith dialogue experienced between the leaders of the various religious communities. Sadly, only the Muslim community is not represented in the MCCBCHST. The President noted: But in our council, we have found that by sitting together and talking through these differences, potential flashpoints and major problems can be avoided and disputes are settled more peacefully and amicably.”
He went on to raise many of the issues faced by the Non-Muslims in a country where there has been a growing process of Islamization, affecting many aspects of the political and social life of citizens.
In response, the Prime Minister in his speech, assured the people that he has their grievances and as Prime Minister of all Malaysians, will look into all the issues raised.
“Malaysia has shown the world that people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds can live together in peace and harmony,” the Prime Minister emphasized.
“But good relations can only be built up through friendship and sharing the concerns of one another,” he added.
He finally assured the people that as long as he is Prime Minister he will see to it that many of the current grievances touching on the direct consequences for the family of a person converting into Islam, are addressed and solutions found.
EXTRACT OF DATUK VAITHILINGAM’S SPEECH(President of MCCBCHST)
We call for fair treatment of non-Muslims on the following issues, namely,
1. The police force should avoid discrimination of non-Muslims and accept all reports made especially on the issue of dead bodies.
2. On too many occasions, the Judiciary has not lived up to the expectations of the non Muslim rakyat. The plight of mothers like Subashini and Shamala, whose husbands convert to Islam and then, all too conveniently, plead their new religion to avoid their commitments under the civil law to their former family is heartbreaking. Non Muslims are terrified at pronouncements by the Courts that one parent can convert our children to Islam even if the other parent does not consent.
3. In schools, our children are not permitted to and do not get education in their own religion. Moral lessons are reportedly vetted by the Islamic authorities. It is considered that it can be assured that children who get religious education will grow up to be useful, ethical and morally upright citizens.
4. We hear about millions of ringgit being allocated from public funds for Islamic religious purposes and for the building of mosques. There is very little or no allocation of funds for the remaining 45% of the population to get spiritual comfort.
5. Our various religions find difficulties bringing priests, musicians, sculptures and other skilled persons into the country in order to serve our spiritual needs. Visas for more than 2 million workers from overseas are easily given - the giving of more visas for spiritual personnel and speakers will be welcomed.
Yang Amat Berhormat,
Most non-Muslims also fall in the category of Non-Bumiputras.
If urgent action is not taken soon, the "brain drain" of talented Malaysians who go abroad as they are afraid of being marginalised in their own home country will continue.
Yang Amat Berhormat,
There is a very serious need to address these concerns.
Urgent law reforms are necessary.
The recent steps announced by Yang Amat Berhormat to ensure that converts to Islam are required to notify their families is welcomed as a good first step.
But more importantly, the law must be made crystal clear that religious conversion, both into and out of Islam, cannot be used as an excuse to avoid a person's obligations to his or her family.
Freedom of conscience of the individual must be respected, and a simple registration mechanism must be put in place to ensure that those who wish to leave Islam and revert to their former religion, or convert to any other religion, can do so.
Our religious development must not suffer at the hands of limitations on an individual's right of choice as a fundamental democratic institution. In this day and age where access to knowledge is without frontiers depriving citizens of the freedom to choose their religion may even be considered inhumane.
Yang Amat Berhormat,
Most importantly, all Malaysians must feel that they have adequate access to justice.
In that regard, we in the MCCBCHST wholeheartedly support the initiatives of Yang Amat Berhormat, as announced by the Minister of Law Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, to restore the judicial power of the Federation in the Courts by restoring Article 121 (1) of the Federal Constitution to its pre-1988 position.
I hope that the Government will pursue that proposal so that our democratic institutions are restored.
From the standpoint of religious cases in the courts we also support the urgent need for a Judicial Appointments Commission. Public confidence in the Judiciary is very low, and this is not healthy for democracy to flourish.Religious development can only properly take place when all our institutions are properly restored.
Our Judges must show to the rakyat that they are above personal prejudices, and that when a person appears before a Judge he can expect that Judge to disregard his personal religious feelings and convictions and apply and uphold the law and the Constitution without fear or favour.
Unfortunately, if you ask a non Muslim today, he will not have such confidence in the Judiciary in a case involving religious freedom or a dispute involving Islamic religious conversion.
There have been some suggestions that non Muslims can subject themselves to the Syariah courts. But Yang Amat Berhormat will recognize how unfair it is to ask someone to subject themselves to a theological law which is not their own. The entire foundation of the Syariah courts rests on the basic belief in the religion of Islam by the litigants and the judges. Non Muslims cannot be forced to be judged according to Islamic law.
The civil courts must always have jurisdiction whenever there is a dispute in which a non Muslim is involved. Justice in those civil courts must be administered by Judges whose integrity and intelligence are beyond reproach, and who will dispense justice even-handedly and in accordance with the Federal Constitution. Judges in the civil courts should not either knowingly or unknowingly try and apply Islamic law in administering justice.
Yang Amat Berhormat,
Ultimately, all that is required is respect.
There is plenty of space in Malaysia for all of us to practice our religion to the fullest without infringing on the rights of others to practise their religion.
If we have basic respect for each other, we should know that it is insensitive to force non Muslims to wear a tudung or for Muslim Parliamentarians to openly slaughter cows in Parliament or for local authorities to demolish a place of worship a week before a religious festival.
If we have basic respect for each other, we should know that it is not right to stop Christians or Sikhs using a word for God which is found in their religious books just because Muslims too use that same word. This is, as long as, the constitutional restraint on propagation of other religions to those professing Islam, is not breached.
Yang Amat Berhormat,
The MCCBCHST has made broad proposals for law reform in order to overcome the family problems caused by conversions to Islam in various memoranda to the Government.
In meetings with various Government officials, we have also given actual legislative proposals which we believe will alleviate many of these problems whilst at the same time ensuring that the rights of all Malaysians are respected.
Those law reforms must be urgently legislated.
The Judiciary must be restored to its rightful place in our system of Constitutional government.
All Malaysians must have confidence that our public institutions will act even-handedly in preserving and protecting the Constitution and the rights of all Malaysians.
We desperately need urgent action to preserve the atmosphere of mutual respect and harmony which ought to prevail in this country of ours.
It is our belief that things are at a critical stage. A concerted effort must be made by the government to confirm that it does not sideline the democratic rights of 45 % of the population.
（End）
