Govt can't remain mum on secret conversion suggestion - group

 

A religious group has chided the government’s silence on the issue of preacher Firdaus Wong suggesting ways to secretly convert teenagers to Islam.

Malaysian Hindu Agamam Ani Association chairperson Arun Dorasamy said the Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim-led government needs to issue an official statement condemning the preacher.

“We have three demands to put forward. First, this issue relates to the Education Ministry, so we urge minister Fadhlina Sidek to ban or prohibit Wong and similar individuals from setting foot in public schools.

“Why? So non-Muslim parents can send their children to school without worrying about their welfare.

“Second, we definitely want firm action from the police and Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), because previously we don’t have a good track record in such issues.

“However, our belief in the rule of law remains intact. We trust the police will take appropriate stern action against Wong, followed by prosecution by the AGC.

Firdaus Wong

“Our third demand is for the Madani government to issue an official statement condemning such actions from certain groups, especially taking advantage of students.

“When they remain silent on this, it is as if they are allowing it to happen,” he said at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.

Arun said this while commenting on the recent controversy involving Wong.

Q&A session

Last week, the controversial preacher uploaded a video on TikTok showing him advising a man on how to handle requests to convert to Islam from some teenagers.

The TikTok video showed Wong engaged in a question-and-answer session at an event.

For the record, there was a misconception linking the Q&A session to Wong advising a teacher, which raised concerns among non-Muslims about their teenage children in national schools, leading to calls to bar the preacher from entering schools.

However, the Q&A session did not involve a teacher but rather a writer and TikTok influencer.

He asked Wong what should be done when underage non-Muslim teenagers want to convert to Islam.

Wong said the teenagers should be welcomed to convert to Islam but their conversions cannot be registered or announced.

He also shared advice on how these teenagers can practice Islam secretly so they can conceal it from others.

According to Arun, as of now, six police reports have been lodged against Wong. - Mkini