Non-Muslim ministers asleep?

They must accept responsibility for the new conversion bill, says an Indian group.

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Indian Progressive Association (MIPAS) took non-Muslim ministers to task today for their silence when the controversial Administration of the Religion of Islam (Federal Territories) Bill 2013 was discussed in the Federal Cabinet before its presentation in Parliament.

A MIPAS press statement said those ministers must take full responsibility for the bill, which was tabled last week and has attracted criticism from several quarters for its alleged insensitivity to non-Muslim concerns.

“These ministers are the ones we should blame,” MAPAS secretary S Barathidasan said. “The bill allows the consent of just one parent before a child is converted to Islam. In other words, it allows for unilateral conversion of minors to Islam.”

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin recently disclosed that the bill was discussed in the cabinet in detail before it was tabled in Parliament.

“This means,” Barathidasan said, “that all non-Muslim ministers were aware of the bill even before it was made public. They could have objected to it at the cabinet level. Why didn’t they do it?

“I wonder why they are now making noise in the media when they could have stopped it at its roots.”

He said the controversy over the proposed law was just one of many instances to show that Barisan Nasional leaders had been hoodwinking the public through their media statements.

He noted that the conversion issue had been in the news since at least 2009 and alleged that no minister had said anything reflecting the concerns of non-Muslims.

Clause 107(b) of the new bill states that a non-Muslim can convert to Islam if he is of sound mind, but a subject below the age of 18 can do so with the consent of his or her mother, father or guardian.

Seeds of division

In another development, MIC strategic director S Vell Paari said the proposed amendment to the Bill would only lead to religious tension and further worsen the brain drain in the country.

“Our nation’s foundation rests on mutual respect and tolerance. Amendments such as this will only serve to shatter our foundation.

“To safeguard the future of this nation, sensible voices must always prevail, not only in this issue, but in all matters regarding race and religion.

“Let us not sow the seeds of division,” he said in a statement.

On that note, he added that Tourism Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz was right in publicly rejecting the Bill.