| Submit your comments on this article |
| Southeast Asia |
| Rise of Islam rankles Malaysia's minority faiths |
| 2007-07-09 |
| Deep in the heart of a Malaysian jungle, a preacher holds a meeting under the scorching midday sun, urging followers not to lose faith after their church was demolished by the government. The razing of their simple brick church, among a spate of demolitions of non-Muslim places of worship in Malaysia, has heightened fears that the rights of minority faiths are being eroded despite provisions in Malaysian law guaranteeing every person the freedom to profess his own religion. "Why did the government tear down our church when they say we are free to choose our religion?" asked preacher Sazali Pengsang. "This incident will not stop me from practising my faith," Sazali said, as he watched children in ragged clothes playing catch in a poor village populated by indigenous tribespeople who recently converted to Christianity from their tribal faith. The church in northeastern Kelantan state bordering Thailand is one of several non-Muslim places of worship recently pulled down by the authorities, a trend that's fuelling concern about a rise in hardline Islam in this moderate Muslim country. State governments have charge over matters relating to Islam in Malaysia and in Kampung Jias, the authorities contend that the building was erected without their approval. But the natives say the land on which the church was erected is theirs and no approval is required under Malaysian law to build a church on their own property. In a country where race and religion are inextricably linked, rising religious tension also throws the spotlight on the privileges of the majority ethnic Malays, who are Muslims by birth. Mosques are found in every nook and cranny in Malaysia but religious minorities say it is difficult to obtain approval to build their own places of worship. Non-Muslims have also complained, mainly in Internet chatrooms, about city hall officials permitting construction of huge mosques in areas with small Muslim populations. State television routinely broadcasts Islamic programmes but forbids other religions to be preached. Muslims make up about 60 percent of Malaysia's population of 26 million, Buddhists about 20 percent, Christians 10 percent and Hindus about 6 percent. The smouldering discontent is a worry for this multi-ethnic country which has tried hard to maintain racial harmony after bloody racial riots in 1969 in which 200 people were killed. "If the authorities do not intervene it would indirectly encourage extreme Islamists to show their muscle and their aggression towards other religious practices," said Wong Kim Kong, of the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship Malaysia. "That would threaten the religious harmony, national unity and national integration of the nation." Simmering religious tensions could undermine support for the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, an Islamic scholar who champions a moderate brand of the religion. "Many people of other faiths in Malaysia view the gradual erosion of their rights," said Reverend Hermen Shastri, an official at Malaysia's Council of Churches. "The government, which asserts to be a coalition that looks to the interests of all Malaysians, is not firm enough with authorities who ... take actions arbitrarily," he added. continued at link |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #3 Madrassas > this whole region near Australia will remain a prime recruiting ground for the Islamists, to include post-Dubya agz Israel + US influence in the core ME. The Muslim armed response to the Crusades took generations, and so will this. THIS IS WAR IN THE NAME OF GOD, AND WAR FOR THE WORLD. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-07-09 23:28 |
| #2 From the Attorney General's Chambers of Malaysia: Malaysia by virtue of being a member of the United Nations has subscribed to the philosophy, concepts and norms provided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which sets out the minimum and common standard of human rights for all peoples and all nations. Apart from the UDHR, subject to the provisions of the Malaysian Constitution and the applicable laws and policies, Malaysia also adheres to the principles laid down in varius international human rights instruments, which include: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR); International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR); International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD); Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT); Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC); Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). From the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Article 18. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. [emphasis added above] When do we stop going along with this farce of a charade? Harsh economic sanctions should await every single country that pays lip service to the UDHR but sets about violating it on a daily basis. This bullshit has got to stop. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-07-09 21:53 |
| #1 Any of us with any brains knew this was coming in Malaysia. Time to add them to the ARCLIGHT list. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2007-07-09 16:38 |