MAIS -Rulers have no Prerogative Power Over Other Religions, says MCCBCHST

Recently,  the  Selangor  lslamic  Council  (MAIS)  issued  a statement  to  the  effect  that  the  use  of  the word “Allah”  by  non-Muslims  is  prohibited.  The statement  by  MAIS also gave  the  impression  that  its  ruling would  be binding on non-Muslims.  This  is  tantamount  to  imposition  of restrictions  by  an lslamic  Council or body against  non-Muslims.  lt  could  also  be seen  as  an  attempt  to  control  the  religious  practice  of a non-Muslim  religion  by an lslamic  body  or  organisation…

Resolving the Allah Controversy Going Beyond Polemics and Call for Constructive Dialogue

It is imperative for religious leaders from both the Christian and Muslim community (regardless of whether they represent UMNO or PAS) to engage in constructive dialogue to resolve the Allah controversy in a spirit that is consistent with the ethical and spiritual aspiration of their respective religious traditions. Leaders from the Malaysian church would readily welcome dialogue with Muslim leaders. Hopefully such dialogue would restore good will and harmony to our beloved nation.

Proposition 1: We respect the right of PAS to spell out clearly its theological position on Allah.

Proposition 2: We respect the right of people of different faiths to interpret their holy books and profess their faith in their mother tongues.

Proposition 3: We must go beyond polemics in addressing the Allah controversy.

Proposition 4: We invite Muslim leaders to engage in constructive dialogue with Christian leaders to resolve the Allah controversy.

You may read the full article at Krisis & Praxis blog LINK

Selangor Sultan Says non-Muslims Must Not use ‘Allah’, Pakatan and Christian Federation of Malaysia Disagree

Rulers are looked upon as symbols of national unity. For this reason rulers or sultans normally stay above political contestations and social controversies. This would be a most appropriate posture of royal dignity. An intervention that is premature would only exacerbate disunity among his subjects. He intervenes only when the conflict is so intractable that his intervention is absolutely necessary. Knowing exactly when to intervene is the mark of a wise ruler. Obviously, he can restore unity only when he is seen to be impartial and has the interests of all his subjects equally in his heart.

Many of us wonder why the Sultan of Selangor chooses to decree that the word ‘Allah’ is forbidden to use by any non-Muslims religion in Selangor at a time of obvious political tensions and deep social divisions in the run-up to the coming General Elections. The ruler has absolute discretion in making any decree. He can rule, but will he reign, at least in the hearts of all his subjects? In this regard, other national leaders from political parties and leaders from the Christian and Sikh communities have expressed concerns, if not disagreement with the decree of the Sultan.

What now happens to the harmony between the Sultan and his subjects? The Christian assurance is that providence is ultimately in the hand of God, the one and only almighty ruler over human history and society.

Malaysian Government Relaxes Travel Restrictions on Christian Pilgrims to Israel

So, the Malaysia government suddenly decides to relax travel restrictions on Christian pilgrims to Israel? LINK Presumably, with the restrictions lifted, Christians should feel grateful to the government and vote more favourably for BN in the coming General Elections. But this is surely perverse logic.

It should be noted that the government treated the Christian community with contempt when it arbitrarily imposed restrictions on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It was not only a high-handed act; it was a grievous violation of the religious rights of Christians, as pilgrimage to the birthplace of any religion (in this case, the Holy Land of Israel/Palestine) represents a major ritual for believers.

Covert (correction: Brazen) Islamization Using MyKad (National ID Card)

Another case of brazen violation of the religious rights of non-Muslims by officials from the Malaysian Islamic Departments and the civil service (in this case the NRD). Perhaps the authorities will respond to the complaint from Christian leaders; perhaps they will follow through with some token corrections and ignore many other cases not highlighted. Still, such violation should never have happened in the first place.

Be assured, the government officials will continue with their brazen misdemeanors because their mischief is often unnoticed, and they know they will not be penalized by their superiors in cases where their misdemeanors are exposed. Hmm…perhaps these are not random misdeeds of overzealous small time operatives, that it, these officials are actually following directives from their superiors (who often feign surprise and ignorance when complaints are brought to their attention)…Saya yang menurut perintah

State-Sponsored Covert Conversions Unbeknownst to Bumiputra Christian Victims

The Malaysian government has been implementing public policies that incrementally restrict non-Muslims from profession their faith. It seems that it now goes further by professing faith on behalf of Christian natives (Bumiputra Christians) in Sabah.

Minister Claims “Malaysia Not Founded or Endorsed as Secular State.” Really?

Datuk Nazri Aziz has effectively denied the fact that the Federal Constitution views Malaysia as a secular state. He trades on the ambiguity of the phrase in article 3 of the Constitution, “Islam is the religion of the Federation”. He argues against the secular nature of the Constitution since, “A secular country does not expressly identify one religion as its official religion.” The Malaysian Insider quotes Nazri, “Malaysia was founded on the basis of an Islamic government, under the Malay rulers as head of the religion… The word secular does not exist at all anywhere in our federal constitution.”

Nazri conveniently ignores the fact that the term “official religion” is not used at all in article 3. He ignores the caveats in article 3(2) which circumscribes the position of Islam in this article that refers to “acts, observances or ceremonies”, and article 3(4), “Nothing in this Article derogates from any other provision of this Constitution” which elsewhere has been clearly defined as secular.

New Restrictions for Malaysian Christian Pilgrims to the Holy Land (Israel)

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Christian Federation of Malaysia is unhappy that Christians are forced to shorten their pilgrimages to one week, again halved from previously, among other measures seen to restrict the religion’s followers constitutional freedom.

“Although the freeze was lifted in April 2011, Christians wishing to make a pilgrimage must now do so through their respective churches only, religious leaders say, with churches asked to write to Malaysia’s Ministry of Home Affairs for permission.

“That process takes between two to three months, people involved in organizing such trips say. If a letter of permission is granted, it can take an additional one to two weeks for immigration officials to handle the necessary paperwork,” WSJ reported…

ISA May be Repealed in Bold Letters but Maintained in Fine Print

Prime Minister Najib Razak promised to abolish the ISA (Internal Security Act 1960) recently – a convenient promise with General Elections round the corner. He seems to make good his promise by tabling in Parliament the Security Offences (Special Measures) Bill 2012.

But voters beware! We know that the legal ‘reforms’ of the BN government work just like insurance policies, “What the bold print giveth, the fine print taketh away.” Don’t miss out the exclusion clauses in the fine print too.

JAWI Friday Sermon Belies Malaysian Government’s Claim of Religious Tolerance

JAWI Friday Sermon Belies Malaysian Government’s Claim to Respect Other Religions and Forsake Intimation and Violence

Remember Martin Niemoller:

First they came for the communists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.