1. The Malaysian Insider (http://www.themalaysianinsider.com)
Unease grows over new head for top convent school, 17 December 2011
by Debra Chong
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 17 — For Catholic Malaysians, Putrajaya’s latest pick of a Malay-Muslim principal to head the prestigious SMK Convent Bukit Nanas (CBN) underscores a worrying trend to disregard the Church’s contribution and rights in the country.
Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam waded this week into a growing row between the 112-year-old school’s Catholic owners and the Ministry of Education (MOE) after its new principal Datin Seri Zavirah Mohd Shaari’s surprise arrival at its doorstep.
“The appointment of the principal of CBN is not only contrary to the government policy of maximum consultation but has given the impression that it is the government’s strategy to take over the mission schools in total disregard for the status, ethos and special character of mission schools, especially CBN,” Pakiam said in a statement published earlier this week in Catholic paper The Herald.
He was appealing to Education director-general Datuk Seri Abdul Ghafar Mahmud to reconsider the ministry’s decision and pick a suitably qualified person nominated by the school owners under the Infant Jesus (IJ) Sisters order. The school is considered among the top convent schools in the country.
The case comes on the heels of a recent drama over the police’s extra conditions for carolling permits on two South Klang churches less than two weeks ago.
Earlier this year, right-wing Malay-Muslim groups triggered a national uproar over persistent rumours that churches are on a campaign to convert their own and pushing unfounded allegations of a secret political plot to install a Christian prime minister in the next general election.
Christians say such issues are an attempt to erode their religious rights in Muslim-majority Malaysia.
CBN, which has produced notable personalities such as Bersih 2.0 chief Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan and former International Trade Minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, is one of 60 convent schools in Malaysia, Sister Rosalind Tan told The Malaysian Insider.
Tan is the mother provincial of the IJ Sisters and the person in charge of the order’s administration in the country.
She related that the school’s board of governors were taken aback when Zavirah reported for duty last week because there was no prior notice from the Education Ministry.
The previous head, Ann Khoo, retired last month.
Tan said this was not the first time the ministry had acted without consultation, saying the issue had been going on for decades.
She said the order, as the school’s rightful owners, had a responsibility to ensure the school head abided by its founding ethos even though the operations were now managed by the federal government.
“We have no qualms about race or religion of the principal posted to our mission schools,” she said in an interview this week.
She said that Zavirah was not school’s first lay principal, or the order’s first non-Christian school head; but expressed disappointment that its nominees had been sidelined by the ministry.
“What we want are principals who know what the mission school is and stands for,” she stressed.
In his statement, Pakiam highlighted that Zavirah had not been on a list submitted by the mission school authority.
He said the decision breached a previous government policy in the 1970s for “maximum consultation” with Christian mission schools nationwide in a revised report by the Royal Commission on the Teaching Services, West Malaysia.
The metropolitan archbishop added that former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was the education minister in 1976, had repeated and affirmed the pledge in 1998 in a trip to Kota Kinabalu, to consult mission school authorities over the choice of school heads and teachers.
The Malaysian Insider understands there are over 400 Christian mission schools nationwide.
Catholics, who make up nearly one million of the country’s 28 million total population, have founded more than 250 such schools, including Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s alma mater, St John’s Institution, which neighbours CBN.
2. Christian Post (http://www.christianpost.com)
Malaysian Muslims Protest Christianity, but Believers Keep the Faith, 15 December 2011
by Bianca Coombs(Christian Post Contributor)
Although Christians make up only 9 percent of the population, they remain the prime targets of Malaysian Islamic enthusiasts.
In a Dec. 12 article, the New York Times detailed the fear that Malaysian Christians live in as a result of constant accusations by Muslim organizations that they are trying to “Christianize” the entire country.
Although “Christianizing,” or spreading the faith of Christianity, is against the law, Muslims are free to proselytize to others in Malaysia. The central government’s Department of Islamic Development holds that no one has ever been charged with trying to convert Muslims, but penalties in Selangor State for the crime of attempted conversion by Christians include a year in prison and a fine of 10,000 ringgit, or nearly $3,200.
The most difficult part for Christians is the lack of involvement by the Malaysian government to stop the verbal and political attacks on Christians who are becoming more involved in Malaysian politics.
There have been incidents including the leader of the dominant governing party, United Malays National Organization, saying Islam would be “lost” if the opposition, the Democratic Action Party, gained seats in the next election.
“Say goodbye to Islam, because they are agents of Christianization,” he said, according to the Times. In August, Selangor officials interrupted a church dinner outside, claiming they had information that Christians were proselytizing to Muslims.
Kam Weng Ng, the director of the Kairos Research Center in Kuala Lumpur that studies Malaysian Christian issues said, “Off the cuff, it is natural that Christians feel a sense of foreboding given the long campaign directed against the Malaysian Church by influential politicians that are seen to be aligned to the ruling coalition, Barisan National, in the past few years.”
He told The Christian Post, “There have been calls to ban the Malay Bible and restrict proselytization-which effectively translates into restriction of Christian religious activities in general.”
“Since the beginning of 2011, the authorities refused to renew the visas of foreign lecturers and students at the local Bible colleges/seminaries despite renewed appeals from Christians,” Ng continued.
“To be fair, this demand has since been dropped following some public outcry. But there is no assurance that similar demands will be imposed again in future. I suppose the authorities are satisfied that the Christians have been duly reminded to be mindful of their political bosses.”
Many Christians have been afraid of protesting and of possible backlash. Himpun, an organization formed to protect Islam, continues to hold rallies and push for the government to punish Christians for converting Muslims. Christian groups maintain their innocence.
“I am fairly certain there is no systematic program of proselytization of Muslims carried out by the Malaysian churches, which are mindful of backlash from the authorities,” Ng protests. “If there are Muslims converting to Christianity, it is likely that these Muslims converted out of their own initiatives when they are exposed to diverse religious beliefs and ideologies in this world of global communication, media and the internet. How widespread are these conversions is anybody guess.”
Ng also wanted to point out that Christians and Muslims misunderstand Malaysian law regarding proselytizing. He says federal law may control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam. Any regulations must respect the overriding provisions for religious liberty in the Federal Constitution.
In Ng’s view, control and restriction does not translate to prohibition.
The Times article suggested that Malaysian Christians may have a less than happy Christmas season, but Ng tells The Christian Post that this is not the case.
“Christians are determined that they will not allow such intimidation to spoil their Christmas celebration,” says Ng. “Their conscience is clear- Christians have always been exemplary citizens and they will not cease from the long and honorable tradition of sharing of the Christmas message of peace and good will to all people.”
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