"Is Anwar coming to say that religions other than Islam can't live together with Islam? Is conversion the way to exit from the multifaceted religions and multicultural society in the country?"
- Former Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy
Penang Mufti Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor has defended Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim over the latest controversy in which the latter found himself.
First, he said the issue should not be turned into a polemic.
Well, if the prime minister did not want this turned into a “polemic” he should not have done this in the first place, but more importantly, should not have put this up in a Facebook posting.
The second, Wan Salim said - “I also hope the conversion of this youth to Islam will not cause uneasiness, and his relationship with his family members and friends will not be severed.”
This is a telling point when it comes to religious conversion in this country. You have to ask yourself, why would a convert’s relationship with his or her family be severed merely because of a conversion to another religion?
We are not the same
If anyone does not understand why the prime minister presiding over the conversion of a Hindu youth is so controversial, here is the context of his action.
We live in a country where non-Muslims are banned from using certain words, we live in a country where there are cases of non-Muslim children being unilaterally converted and kidnapped, we live in a country where non-Muslims are warned not to disturb Muslim rights when advocating their democratic rights and social justice.
We live in a country where non-Muslim economic endeavours are curtailed because of Muslim piety, we live in a country where in some states, non-Muslim places of worship are subject to restrictions on who can enter.
We live in a country where non-Muslim religions are mocked by celebrity preachers, we live in a country where non-Muslims are often demonised and used as scapegoats by political operatives and political elites, we live in a country where non-Muslims are told that we are not citizens but rather “pendatang”.
So, when the current prime minister presided over the conversion of this Hindu youth, he was in fact representing the religious reality that non-Muslims face in this country. He was not merely welcoming a new convert into the religion, he was reinforcing religious narratives.
Time to ask real questions
And yes, this is all about optics. What does it say to the Hindu community - or even the Indian community - when the prime minister of this country presides over the conversion of a Hindu youth, while mothers are battling in the courts to get their children back, are suing the state security apparatus to do their jobs and dealing with the religious bureaucracy who are hampering their efforts to reconcile with their children?
This idea that converting in this country does not come with some state and non-state-sponsored benefits is something that is often overlooked in these conversion debates.
Nobody wants to have that conversation because to do so would invite religious groups to lodge police reports that claimed you were disrespecting the Muslim faith.
Malaysian Advancement Party president P Waythamoorthy asked: “So, the question that is being asked is why now, after becoming the prime minister. Many ask if the prime minister is trying to prove he is a greater Muslim than PAS and Perikatan Nasional by being the first prime minister to have conducted a ritual to welcome a ‘saudara baru’.”
Even PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang has not publically presided over a conversion ceremony. Who knows, maybe Anwar will start a trend.
P Ramasamy said: “It is time for Indians and others to think about their future in the country. Can you believe that Anwar will lead the non-Malays from their current frustration and difficult situation?”
With all due respect to Ramasamy, the real question that Indians and others have to think about is, do non-Muslims have a future in this country? - Mkini
S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.