1. Malaysiakini (http://www.malaysiakini.com)
Hasan sad 'Christianisation' dropped from forum title, 30 March 2012
Former Selangor executive council member Hasan Ali is sad that the organiser of a forum in Johor removed the word "Christianisation" from the forum title after pressure from opposition politicians and the public.
"I am saddened that the organiser dropped the word Christianisation from the original title of the forum on the urging of irresponsible parties, who seem content that society should disregard the matter.
"To me, the threat of Christianisation is a clear and present danger which should not be hidden," the sacked PAS member, who now heads pro-Malay and Islam NGO Jati, said in a statement today.
Hasan lashed out at parties he claimed were responsible for downplaying the Christian threat and pressuring the organisers to change their forum title, focussing on the Islamic party in which he was once a member.
The former exco member was commenting on the recent move by the organisers of tomorrow’s upcoming Johor Education Department forum to drop the controversial word ‘Christianisation’ from its title, after news of the matter made national headlines and attracted brickbats
Hasan, who has in recent months been spearheading a campaign against what he claims is the rampant proselytising of Muslims by Christians, said he viewed such interference seriously.
Hasan to reveal proselytising video on Monday
“I am very puzzled that PAS leaders themselves, in particular one of its vice-presidents, can say that is it just a political gimmick.
“I do not know why the parties are sweeping aside earnest efforts like this and trying to portray that the threat to the Muslim faith is not real,” lamented the former Selangor PAS commissioner.
Hasan said he himself had experienced the same issue highlighted by the forum, repeating his claim of the “threat” of Christian proselytising in Selangor, which he described as “alarming”.
He reiterated that he would prove this by revealing a video recording of such cases that took place in Selangor at a press conference on Monday.
2. The Sun Daily(http://www.thesundaily.my)
Malaysia in religious row over 'threat of Christianity', 30 March 2012
KUALA LUMPUR (March 30, 2012) : Malaysian state religious and education officials have changed the title of a seminar on "the threat of Christianity" following outrage from non-Muslims in the multiethnic country.
Southern Johor state education officials faced criticism over the school teachers' seminar to be held Saturday that was titled: "Strengthening the faith, the dangers of liberalism and pluralism and the threat of Christianity towards Muslims."
The furore over the title follows allegations of Christian proselytisation in the Muslim-majority country after religious police raided a Methodist church event last August fearing Muslims were being converted.
State lawmaker Maulizan Bujang told the Bernama news agency the reference to Christianity would be removed from the title, saying: "The seminar aims to strengthen the faith of Muslims and it does not need to be politicised by any party that claims it (the seminar) is a threat to other religions."
But co-organisers from the state religious department said the seminar's content would remain the same.
"The seminar is part of the right of Muslims to defend the faith of its practitioners from any action which may lead to apostasy. It is our responsibility," an official told Bernama.
Opposition leaders say the ruling coalition, which is expected to announce national polls this year, is trying to woo back Malay support by using fear of other religions, after a swing vote saw the government lose control of a third of parliamentary seats and four states in 2008 polls.
Reverend Hermen Shastri, general secretary of the Council of Churches of Malaysia, said the government had to take a stand against the seminar.
"Of course we are disappointed, it derails the whole idea of harmony and mutual respect and understanding each other," he told AFP.
Malaysia has largely avoided overt religious conflict in recent decades but tensions have simmered since a court ruling in late 2009 lifted a government ban on the use of "Allah" as a translation for "God" in Malay-language bibles.
The ban had been in place for years but enforcement only began in 2008 out of fear the word could encourage Muslims to convert.
The 2009 ruling triggered a series of attacks on Christian places of worship using Molotov cocktails, rocks and paint.
Muslims make up 60 percent of the country's 28 million people, while Christians account for about nine percent, most of whom come from indigenous groups in the Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak. - AFP
3. Free Malaysia Today (http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com)
Bishop Ng: Seminar content must change, 30 March 2012
K Pragalath
He says the change in the title does nothing to remove the hurt felt by Christians.
PETALING JAYA: Tomorrow’s seminar for Johor teachers remains hurtful to Christians despite the organisers’ decision to remove any reference to Christianity in the wording of its theme.
Bishop Ng Moon Hing, chairman of the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) said in a media statement today that Christian feelings would be soothed only if the content and structure of the forum were changed as well to remove any implication that Christianity was a threat to Muslims in the country.
He was commenting on statement by Johor state assemblyman Maulizan Bujang that the title of the seminar would be changed following protests from non-Muslims.
When the seminar was announced recently, the organisers gave it the unwieldy title of “Strengthening the Faith, the Dangers of Liberalism and Pluralism and the Threat of Christianisation of Muslims. What is the Role of Teachers?”
A Bernama report quoting Maulizan did not give the new title. It only said that the reference to Christianity would be removed.
The seminar is organised by the Education Ministry, the Johor Education Department and the Johor Mufti’s office.
“Even though there has now been an attempt to re-name the title of the seminar, the intent of the seminar has been clearly exposed for all to see,” Ng said.
“We condemn the Johor State Education Department’s action. It is insufficient to rename the seminar without changing the content and structure of the seminar.”
He added that seminars organised by government agencies must not “foment tensions among our peaceful and harmonious peoples.”
Religion as a dividing tool
He said the attempt to paint Christianity as a threat to Islam was unfounded and unjustified.
“Religion must never be used to divide our country, destabilise its harmony and destroy its unity.”
He also said the seminar would run afoul of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak attempt to showcase Malaysia as a moderate Muslim country, as evident in his speeches before international audiences .
Referring to the Prime Minister’s speech at the “Global Movement of Moderates” conference in Kuala Lumpur early this year, Ng said: “Najib has called on all Malaysians to work together on the basis of our common religious principles and values of moderation in nation building.”
He urged the government to take “immediate and concrete steps” to stop painting Christianity as a threat.
“Government departments must not be seen to be working at—and should not be allowed to work at—cross purposes to the government’s aims by instilling hatred and ill will between religious communities.
“Such contradictory objectives will only serve to divide the nation rather than unite it.”
4. Malaysiakini (http://www.malaysiakini.com)
Walk your talk, interfaith group tells Najib, 31 March 2012
The government has been chided by an interfaith group for condoning the Johor Education Department seminar for Islamic studies teachers today that focuses on Christian proselytising.
Alarmed by the event, the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) issued a impassioned plea to Prime Minister Najib Razak:
"We implore you to walk your talk. Be the leader of a responsible government that practises what it preaches. Your concept of 1Malaysia and your call for moderation is all in disarray."
The seminar was originally titled ‘Pemantapan Aqidah, Bahaya Liberalisme dan Pluralism Serta Ancaman Kristianisasi Terhadap Umat Islam. Apa Peranan Guru?' (Strengthening the faith, the dangers of liberalism and pluralism and the threat of Christianity against Muslims. What is the role of teachers?).
The reference to Christianity was subsequently removed following public outrage.
The interfaith council noted that Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had in February launched a National Interfaith Harmony Week in commemoration of the World lnterfaith Harmony Week.
"He (Muhyiddin) called on all students and teachers to respect and celebrate the different religions practised by our fellow Malaysians under the tenets of lMalaysia.
"We are shocked that the only voice of the government heard on this matter is that of the minister
responsible for Islamic affairs, who is condoning the seminar.
"The irony of the matter is that the same minister serves as one of the advisers to the cabinet committee on the promotion of understanding and harmony among the religions," the council said.
The umbrella group also urged the government to take responsibility for this "serious violation", adding that the efforts put to harness unity have been "meaningless".
Johor Mufti Dept defends seminar
Yesterday, the Johor government re-named the seminar as ‘Liberalisme, Pluralisme dan Gejala Murtad: Apa Peranan Guru Di Dalam Mepertahankan Akidah?' (Liberalism, pluralism and apostasy: What is the role of teachers in defending the faith?), saying that its sole purpose was to "strengthen the faith among Muslims".
MCCBCHST also hit out at the silence from non-Muslim component leaders in the ruling coalition who had pledged to protect the rights and privileges of the people as enshrined in the constitution.
"Let us remind all leaders of the government that the majority of the rakyat in Malaysia, irrespective of their religious affiliations, would like to live in peace and harmony with one another," it added, urging the government to take urgent remedial measures.
Meanwhile, Bernama reported that the Johor Mufti Department had defended the seminar, which was held today.
According to the department, the seminar was aimed at advising teachers of Islamic education on the importance of ensuring that young Muslims had strong faith in the religion.
It did not at all belittle other religions as claimed by certain quarters, said Johor Mufti Department head of the fatwa (edict) division, Suhaimi Rebu.
He spoke to reporters after the seminar, held at the seminar hall of the Johor Education Department in Johor Baru.
5. The Malaysian Insider (http://www.themalaysianinsider.com)
(1)‘Christian threat’ seminar with new name will cause suspicion, says interfaith group, 31 March 2012
by Ida Lim
KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 — The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) insists today’s seminar for religious schoolteachers will create suspicion despite removing the “threat of Christianisation” from its theme.
Rev Dr Thomas Philips, vice president of the interfaith group, said today “these kind of seminars will cause disharmony and create more suspicion and misunderstanding among the people.”
“What kind of atmosphere are they (the teachers) creating for the minds of young children?” he told The Malaysian Insider, referring to the 300 teachers reported to be attending the seminar.
On Thursday, Johor state executive councillor Datuk Maulizan Bujang said that the seminar’s title has been amended and will now omit specific mention of the “Christian threat”.
However, the Johor Mufti Department said that the title-amended seminar will go on with no change to its contents.
“It is sad to note that they are going ahead with it,” said MCCBCHST honorary deputy treasurer-general Reverend Dr Hermen Shastri, when asked about the organisers’ cosmetic change to the “Christian threat” seminar.
The seminar was initially themed “Pemantapan Aqidah, Bahaya Liberalisme dan Pluralism Serta Ancaman Kristianisasi Terhadap Umat Islam. Apa Peranan Guru?” (Strengthening the Faith, the Dangers of Liberalism and Pluralism and the Threat of Christianity towards Muslims. What is the Role of Teachers?).
News of the seminar’s theme earlier this week drew swift condemnation from non-Muslims, who expressed shock and dismay over the characterisation of Christians in the title.
Chrisanne Chin, Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) Youth Moderator, had asked “why is there a perceived threat? Do they have to create this sense of fear?”
The Cabinet’s interfaith panel head Datuk Azman Amin Hassan said the “provocatively-titled” seminar flies in the face of the government’s school-level interfaith harmony week launched last month by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
He added that while “it is fine to improve your faith”, such seminars “will cause the [non-Muslim] community to feel uncomfortable.”
The MCCBCHST had demanded the government to explain why official sanction was given to the “highly inflammatory” seminar.
Muslim groups, however, have insisted the seminar is necessary to beat back the alleged threat of proselytism, which they repeatedly profess to be real despite the absence of firm evidence.
The Muslim Organisations in Defence of Islam (PEMBELA) yesterday insisted the seminar and its theme were part of Muslim rights that were “enshrined in the Federal Constitution”.
Malay rights group Perkasa previously said it would consider the seminar’s organisers “cowardly Muslims” if they gave in to pressure to cancel the event.
Christians form 9.2 per cent of Malaysia’s 28.3 million-strong population.
In recent years, the Christian and Muslim religious communities have been engaged in a tug-of-war over the word “Allah”, with the latter group arguing that its use should be exclusive to them on the grounds that Islam is monotheistic and the word “Allah” denotes the Muslim god.
Christians, however, have argued that “Allah” is an Arabic word that has been used by those of other religious beliefs, including the Jews, in reference to God in many other parts of the world, notably in Arab nations and Indonesia.
Conservative Muslim groups have also accused Christians of attempting to convert Malays, resulting in heightened tension between followers of the two religions.
(2) Who’s threatening whom?, 31 March 2012
by Tay Tian Yan
MARCH 31 — Strengthening faith. (Perfect idea. No one’s going to say “no”.)
Liberalism and pluralism are dangerous. (Emm...This is questionable, at least I think lack of liberalism and pluralism is the real danger.)
Christians are threatening the Muslims. (Wow! This is seditious that could threaten national security and solidarity.)
Don’t misunderstand me. Those are not slogans of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Neither are they slogans of the Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
They are the core ideas of a seminar jointly organised by the Johor State Education Department and the State Religious Affairs Department aptly titled “Pemantapan Aqidah, Bahaya Liberalism dan Pluralism Serta Ancaman Kristianisasi Terhadap Umat Islam. Apa Peranan Guru?” (Strengthening Faith, Threats of Liberalism, Pluralism and Christianity Towards Muslims: What is the Role of Teachers?)
National schools in the state have been instructed to send representatives to the event.
It is absolutely not a problem to strengthen the Islamic faith. Religion is a part of the school curriculum in this country. By all means strengthen it!
However, defining liberalism and pluralism as something “dangerous” does not go well with the prevalent trends nor our national aspirations.
Malaysia is a multiracial and multicultural country. Pluralism is the foundation stone of our nationhood and the basis of our steady development over the decades. It has manifested the country’s superiority but why is it rendered “dangerous” now?
Liberalism goes along with pluralism. Without liberty there would not be options, and hence pluralism.
The most absurd thing is the subjective judgment that Christianity is posing a threat to Muslims.
I was thinking such arguments could only be made by people in the same league as Hasan Ali, trying to exploit religious sensitivity to polarise the nation and instil fears and confrontational sentiments for political gains.
The real dangerous part is that the state Education and Religious Affairs departments, as components of the state mechanisms, have adopted a like-minded stand.
The consequences could be grave if the poison is allowed to spread through education channels to become part and parcel of the national educational system.
This is more than “protecting the rights of Muslims” claimed by the organisers and the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Senator Jamil Khir Baharom.
If this concept is eventually endorsed by the government, our schools will be segregated into two rival camps whereby one religion is posing a threat to the other religion while one group of students is posing a threat to the other.
Confrontation could seep in if one side feels intimidated.
With the students eventually leaving their schools, such a preconceived belief will make its way into the core of our society. This kind of education will only breed conflicts and confrontation, not protection for anyone.
If our leaders still subscribe to the common understanding of our nation-building and national characteristics. they should bar and censure such acts and make sure such fallacies are halted once and for all. — mysinchew.com
・ This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v6/newsindex.php?id=656171
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