Many Malays appear to see the conversion of non-Malays to Islam as a numbers game. The more, the merrier.
However, some Malays are also religious hypocrites, because when allegations about proselytisation among Muslims in Malaysia surface, all hell breaks loose; but when non-Malays are converted - the response from the Malay community is muted, or non-existent.
A Malay friend said that by converting the non-Malay to Islam, the non-Malay/Muslim soul was “saved”.
He may sound arrogant but like many other Malay/Muslims, he is taught that his religion is “the only true one” and other religions are heinous.
An elderly friend firmly believes that when she persuades a non-Malay to convert to Islam, then she will be fast-tracked to heaven. Is this what she was told during religious lessons at the mosque?
Did Prophet Muhammad order his followers to convert others in the immoral way the Malaysian religious authorities and certain individuals convert non-Malays?
Why are we ignoring the oft-quoted Quranic verse 2:256 which states, “There is no compulsion in Islam”?
Do many Malays have a poor understanding of Islam? Why do some people feel compelled to convert others to Islam?
Forced conversions in Malaysia are not a new phenomenon. “Project Cinta” (or Love Jihad), the dakwah (preaching) movement of the 1980s, or the disparate treatment of the Orang Asli, reveal the underhanded tactics of forced and subtle conversions.
There are possibly five main target groups of forced conversions - schoolchildren, young women, the Orang Asli, single mothers, and elderly parents.
On Oct 11, the converted children of Loh Siew Hong said they did not wish to remain Muslims.
Why prolong their and their mother’s trauma? The only compassionate and right thing to do is for the religious authorities to erase the “Islam” label from the children’s identity cards. Set them free.
They’ve been through enough mental torture. Why prolong their suffering with another ordeal in the courts?
Four years ago, Loh’s husband attacked her with a hammer and left her with serious head wounds that required 27 stitches. He broke her arms and legs, and she spent weeks in the hospital recovering from her injuries.
She was then transferred to a shelter for victims of domestic violence while recuperating from the assault. All the while, the father fed their children the lie that she did not care for them and had abandoned them.
The unemployed drug addict then converted the children without their mother’s permission. What did he hope to gain from this? He was not interested in their welfare. He started a terrible chain of events and ignored the consequences.
Loh’s predicament exposed many flaws in our system.
Instead of harassing gymnasts and banning leotards, or hounding people who are decently dressed, but whose non-Syariah-compliant clothing will not satisfy the little Napoleons, the religious authorities should sort out this bureaucratic nightmare of forced conversions.
Our dual system of justice has failed many Malaysians. It makes a mockery of justice. The conversions involve the Syariah Court, but the Hindu mothers are denied access. We have failed single mothers like Loh and M Indira Gandhi whose anguish started 14 years ago.
Loh and Indira did not start their descent into madness. Their husbands did. They started this mayhem and now it is left to the single mothers to clean up their mess.
These two women should receive a joint “Mother of the Year” award for their tenacity, courage, and determination to fight their evil convert husbands and rescue their children, and also for their bravery in making a stand against the faceless, apathetic, and aloof men of the religious bodies.
What do these men, including the converted husbands, know about the mental anguish and psychological damage done to the children? Both Loh and Indira were given legal custody of their children.
The children need their mother while growing up. The state religious authority cannot pretend to be their mummy or nanny.
What must the children think about the Malays or Islam in general?
They are forced into performing rituals which probably mean little to them. Forced to eat foods which are not allowed in their original religion. Forced to cover their aurat. Compelled to repeat religious prayer without understanding what the words mean and forced to fast because their identity cards say “Islam”.
Their mother is forced to pretend that all is fine while her children pretend to be good Muslims.
If the religious status of Loh’s children is not reversed now, and they can’t revert to their original Hindu status, then their nightmare has the potential to worsen.
They must live their lives as Muslims. Later on, their boyfriends and girlfriends must be Muslim and if they are to get married, the other half must convert to Islam.
When they die, they must follow the Islamic rites of burial. If they were to predecease their mother, then the mother is unable to benefit from any inheritance the children may leave behind as she is a non-Muslim.
If those in the state religious bodies believe in the Quranic verse that there is no compulsion in Islam, then all it takes to help Loh is just a signature to reverse the conversion.
If the Madani administration claims it is compassionate, then it has the potential to do something to help Loh and her children.
Oops! I forgot that one must consider the voting public angle. - Mkini
MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army, and the president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog, Twitter.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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