Posts Tagged ‘conversion’

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

najib says cannot create non muslim affairs dept

December 17th, 2007
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


Hmm…as usual, i'm confused. just because other religions are not the official religion (correct term is "religion of the federation" ?), we can't allocate some resources? Why not for the sake of unity make some changes to the relevant acts and constitutions? i mean if we can bulldoze things like national service, water bill, etc, surely the people's reps can do this as well. we are talking about upholding rukunegara (kepercayaan kepada tuhan – believe in god), maybe that can be the supporting point.

in the end, it is "hendak seribu daya, tak nak seribu dalih – where there is will, there is a way".

Non-Muslim Affairs Dept: Gov't looking into it
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/76159
Yoges Palaniappan | Dec 17, 07 6:50pm

The government will look into the request to set up a Non-Muslim Affairs Department under the Prime Minister's Department. 

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said the PM's Department does not have such a department because other religions are not the official religion of the country.

"We have the Islamic Affairs Department in the PM's Department because Islam is our official religion," he told reporters in the Parliament lobby today.

He was responding to the request by a coalition of Indian NGOs for the government to set up a Non-Muslim Affairs Department to handle sensitive issues such as conversions and temple demolitions.

However, Najib stressed that the government is "very concerned" with the Indian community's plight especially issues pertaining to places of worship.

4 comments »

Posted in BornInMalaysia

Tags:

US panel expresses concern over discrimination

December 8th, 2007
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


US panel concerned over temple demolitions
http://www5.malaysiakini.com/news/75763
Dec 7, 07 11:06am

A US Congress-appointed commission has expressed concern over the destruction of Hindu temples and other forms of alleged discrimination faced by religious minorities in Malaysia.

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom urged the administration of President George W Bush to raise the matter with Kuala Lumpur and "insist that immediate measures be taken to protect sacred sites and prevent further destruction".

It expressed concern over recent Malaysian government actions against the Indian Hindu minority "curtailing their human rights, including the freedom of thought, conscience, and religion".

"Continued discrimination against members of the ethnic Indian Hindu minority, including the destruction of sacred places and images, only fuels religious unrest and intolerance," said commission chairperson Michael Cromartie.

At least 30,000 Indians protested on the streets of Kuala Lumpur on Nov 25 to highlight racial and religious discrimination by the Muslim Malay-dominated government of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The Hindu Rights Action Force, which organised the rally, has claimed that, on average, one temple is demolished every three weeks.

Police dispersed the crowd with water cannon and tear gas, and witnesses said some demonstrators were beaten with batons.

The ISA threat

Abdullah has since accused Indian activists of stirring up racial conflict and threatened to use a draconian security law to detain protestors indefinitely without trial.

The US commission, a non-partisan panel appointed by the US president and leaders of Congress, noted that in late October, Malaysian authorities demolished a 100-year-old temple in Selangor.

The panel asked the Bush administration to get an assurance from the Malaysian authorities that no charges would be filed against the organiser of the demonstrations.

"Malaysia should ensure that internationally protected rights to peaceful assembly, expression, and freedom of thought, conscience and religion are protected," it said.

The commission also noted that Kuala Lumpur's Syariah courts have expanded their jurisdiction in recent years, threatening secular civil courts and the country's commitment to religious pluralism.

"[…] the Syariah courts have weighed in on a number of high-profile cases involving conversion, marriage, divorce, child custody, and burial rights of non-Muslims," it added.

Comments Off on US panel expresses concern over discrimination »

Posted in Indian

Tags:

form cabinet task force to aid Indians

December 4th, 2007
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


the indian community at large worry about temple, tamil schools, housing/land/TOL, govt jobs, IC/birth cert/marriage registration, minimum wage, microcredit loans, harrassment from authorities, free/cheap/reliable medical services, removal of gangs/thugs, removal of samsu shops, and education opportunities.

those in middle class and above have slightly different set of worries. their worries will be on employment, housing, business opportunities, crime rate, toll rate, petrol price, civil rights, migration, transportation problems, local council performance, children education, peace, etc.

Form Cabinet task force to aid Indians
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/75622

Dec 4, 07 1:53pm

Parliamentary Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang today urged the government to establish a Cabinet Task Force to find solutions to end the marginalisation of Indians and other groups in the country.

He said the task force should be headed by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and should focus on:

• Conversion of all partially-aided Tamil primary schools into fully-aided schools

• RM500 million allocation to upgrade Tamil primary schools

• Stop demolition of Hindu temples and other places of worship nationwide.

Lim said his proposal was in view of a 30,000-strong “cry of desperation” by those who attended the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) rally on Nov 25.

“The Cabinet should end the denial about the marginalisation of Indians in Malaysia and come out with a new policy for a new deal to end the marginalisation of Indians and all marginalised groups in Malaysia,” he added in a statement.

Lim stressed that the Cabinet and MIC president S Samy Vellu cannot deny that Indians have been marginalised over the last three decades.

As an example, he pointed out that before the New Economic Policy was implemented in 1971, the civil service comprised of 17.4 percent Indians. This figure shrank to 5.12 percent in 2005. 

MIC's 'disservice' 

Since the Hindraf rally, Abdullah, Samy and other Cabinet ministers have on a near daily basis denied Hindraf’s charge that the Indian community is marginalised.

Meanwhile, Lim also accused MIC of doing a “disservice” by not properly informing Abdullah about the plight of the Indian community.

“Abdullah said he has ‘big ears’ and is prepared to hear the truth. It is shocking that nobody in the MIC leadership… is prepared and has the courage to tell the prime minister the truth.

“For decades, the Indians have been marginalised politically, economically, socially, educationally, culturally and religiously, reducing them into a new underclass,” he said.

Lim said these were the reasons why 30,000 Indians from all over the country rallied behind Hindraf.

However, he disagreed with Hindraf’s claim that the Indians are victims of a state-sanctioned ethnic cleansing.

2 comments »

Posted in Indian

Tags:

Jakim, police and Hindu Sangam meet to sort out religious issues

November 11th, 2007
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


Jakim, cops and Hindu Sangam meet to sort out religious issues
 
By LOURDES CHARLES
 
KUALA LUMPUR: The Islamic Development Department (Jakim), police and Hindu Sangam are working on an amicable way to resolve religious issues affecting Hindus, particularly concerning conversion to Islam and demolition of temples. This was discussed in a meeting between Jakim director-general Datuk Wan Mohamed Sheikh Abdul Aziz and Hindu Sangam president Datuk A. Vaithilingam, arranged by Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan in Bukit Aman on Wednesday.
 
Vaithilingam, who said the meeting had opened up a "new channel", added that the aim was to come up with standard operating procedures on such matters. "This is the beginning of positive things to follow. We now have a better understanding of each others' role as far as religious matters are concerned," he said, adding that the Hindu Sangam and Jakim had agreed to consult each other on religious matters and the issues involved. Vaithilingam praised Musa for his role and concern in wanting to resolve such religious issues peacefully.
 
Wan Mohamed said more discussions were needed, adding that the department was still in an early stage of exploring and understanding the sensitivity of conversion to Islam. "We will sit down and discuss such sensitive matters with others to find a solution," he assured. 
 
Musa said he called for the meeting, as he did not want certain quarters to exploit the matter. "The best way is to sit down and discuss, and I am available to meet any party to resolve such issues. "The Prime Minister has said that he must be informed before a temple is to be demolished," added the IGP, who sat in at the meeting.  

Comments Off on Jakim, police and Hindu Sangam meet to sort out religious issues »

Posted in Indian, Religion

Tags:

special committee on conversion issues set up

October 23rd, 2007
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


We didn't see any list of panel members, did we?

Dewan Rakyat: Panel to study Islamic conversion issues

source

A SPECIAL committee has been tasked to draw up a mechanism on addressing issues related to the conversion of non-Muslims into Islam. 

Set up early this year by the Attorney-General's Chambers, it is looking into issues such as dissolution of marriage, custody of children, wife and children's maintenance and determining the religious status of the deceased.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz said the committee was headed by Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail. Among its members are representatives from non-governmental organisations, ministries and departments, academicians, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian bodies as well as ulama.

Replying to Datuk Dr Wan Hashim Wan Teh (BN-Gerik), Nazri said the committee was set up following the prime minister's statement in January that there was no need to amend the Federal Constitution as there was no conflict between civil and Syariah courts.

"As sensitive matters are involved, the committee needs time to study all aspects before making recommendations to the cabinet." Nazri said the committee had not been given any deadline to complete its tasks.

Earlier, he told Wan Hashim that there was no conflict between the civil and Syariah courts as both were administered separately. He said the Federal Constitution stated that matters related to Islam were under the jurisdiction of a state government while those related to civil, criminal and administration of justice were under the federal government. He said in 1988, the Federal Constitution was amended to include Provision (IA) to Article 121, which states that civil courts do not have jurisdiction in matters within the powers of the Syariah courts.

Comments Off on special committee on conversion issues set up »

Posted in BornInMalaysia

Tags: