Posts Tagged ‘Religion’

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

The protestors wanted their voices heard?

September 3rd, 2009
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


We can see it coming now. After a “small” crowd of 50 people did their vile, embarrassing, insulting, and damaging stunt with an animal head in from of state government office, the police and Home Minister have provided some input. While the police said the probe was completed and case files to be submitted to AG office today, there need to be an inquiry on why the incident was allowed to take place in the first place since the police gave rather innovative reasons – situation was not permitting and that a junior officer was in charge. Granted the district police chief was forced to apologise for the inaction, but still need to review to avoid future problems. I mean, people are asking – why is this particular protest handled differently from others? What’s so unique about it? Is it due to the fasting month? Is it due to the participants? Is it due to the large crowd and lack of officers? Wasn’t there a worry of the  later impact of the protest even though the immediate situation on the ground was controlled (protest was allowed for 15 minutes or so).

Did the probe also cover (i)  the statements by the protest leader that his protest was hijacked (what a lousy leader! I won’t want him to represent me after this, if I was a resident in Section 23 – small protest also cannot handle, how to face the state government?), (ii) the source and the owner of the animal head, (iii) identification of the culprits based on the video clip freely available on the Internet?, (v) the hate-inciting and religion-insulting banners/words uttered, and (v) the persons behind the scene who instigated or planned for the s0-called hijack? I hope so because IGP said 60 people were interviewed within 3 days and the persons involved have been identified.

Our esteemed Home Minister have also provided his valuable thoughts after issuing warning action against actions that can be detrimental to national security (I take it as meaning if someone protests against the cow head protestors?):

“We need to look at the angle where a temple is going to be moved there, so we need to go across the political ideology. The relocation could be offensive to anyone.

Hmm…I guess we should only consider that angle. Non-relocation also offensive to “anyone”. So, why no just demolish and pretend nothing happened?  Can ask a certain ex-MB for advice and contacts – he’s experienced in ordering demolition of temple.

Home Minister Hishamuddin also met some of  the residents at Putrajaya. He tried his best to rationalise the action of the protestors, which is kind of unexpected for a person who is supposed to be in charge of internal security. Probably wanted to show a softer approach to this problem. Among the interesting arguments put forth by the minister:

he said the protesters “had no intention at all to bring the cow’s head and invoke racial sentiments or cause tension”.

“They are not going (to be let off) scot-free. But they just feel victimised because they feel there is another valid explanation and had no intention to cause racial (divisions),” he said. [don’t we all feel victimised. So, means can carry some head or another to voice our dissatisfaction? how about wearing certain color shirts? No? Only cow head allowed? Need clarification here.]

… Hishammuddin said he was told that the “residents did not know the organisers and did not know a cow’s head would be brought during the demonstration”. [I thought the organiser also attended this meeting? Or is the organiser an outsider, a non-resident?]

“When we sat and discussed this, they (said they) realised that they were in a situation they could not control.” [sesal dahulu pendapatan, sesal kemudian tak berguna – have heard of this proverb? Doesn’t apply here?]

He further defended the protesters, saying that “they just wanted their voices to be heard”.

“However it was unfortunate that the protest was given negative publicity because it was linked to religious and racial sentiments,” he said. [Err…isn’t that the whole point? So, we must give it positive publicity? If want to voice out also, use the brain a bit la. Very clear even for small kids, that this is not voicing out, but provocation.]

… The minister noted that the residents have since taken “a pro-active” measure by meeting with members of the Hindu Sanggam two days ago, and that both sides will hold another meeting tomorrow.“So if it can be resolved quickly and both sides understand each other, why (should) they be penalised?” said Hishammuddin. [Ahh..so if you do something and later do something else to negate the first action, then it should be alright. I like this word pro-active. Maybe the residents should have approached MHS BEFORE allowing outsider to organise the protest, siap dengan banner pulak! That would be super pro-active. Can win prize for best RA.]

Although the protestors reportedly did not have a permit the minister said “the protest was not big and they (organisers) were very respectful of the Selangor sultan” [Hmm…two criterias outlined for protests in Selangor. Is this written somewhere or just use common sense? ].“They even limited the number of people from the committee to only 10. In fact if they wanted to have a bigger protest they could have, but they were conscious (of the impact).“All they wanted to do was to voice their unhappiness and the unwillingness of the state government to consider their request.” [so, this is the way to voice out. Lesson to be learnt here?]

Hishammuddin said the Selangor government made a poor decision in relocating the temple to a predominantly Malay area.“Even the Hindus are not passionate about the relocation of the temple to the area,” he claimed. [The minister should have elaborated which Hindus are not passionate on the relocation – MHS, Section 19 residents, Section 23 residents, or some MIC people.  There should have been some statistical data, backed by the complete case study and survey forms /AV recordings of the interviews. Then it would carry more weight. And surely, can provide sugggestion for alternative location? Shah Alam has about 30-odd sections only].

Asked why the police had not acted when the cow’s head was brought in, he claimed that action had been taken.“I was monitoring it myself and reporting it to the prime minister,” he said. Commenting on the upcoming dialogue between the Shah Alam Municipal Council and the residents to be held on Saturday, Hishammuddin said this comes “a little too late”.“The residents had met the state representatives before. If they (the representatives had) resolved it then, there wouldn’t need to be a protest (in the first place),” he said. [So, this is not considered pro-active after residents said they are unhappy? The meeting was already being arranged, but the protest still went ahead. Why?]

On a personal note, Hishammuddin felt the protest “in this day and age should be accepted in this world, as the people want their voices to be heard”.“If we don’t give them room to voice their opinions, they have no choice but to protest. (But) regardless of the action they take, they have to adhere to the laws of the country. So they have to be responsible,” he said. [Motivation talk to protest responsibly.]

Hmm… I wonder if HINDRAF /candle vigil/”wear black” protestors can borrow him to argue their case. The reasons seems applicable to them as well.

The resident association also met with MHS earlier, and will be meeting them again to issue some sort of statement – damage control I guess. For the greater good.

Anyway, I guess we know the outcome. Anyone willing to bet a prosecution to take place?

1 comment »

Posted in BornInMalaysia, Indian

Tags:

Yoga Class at DLS

September 2nd, 2009
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


Interested to learn Yoga? Not the type in Yoga centers, but one which is more down to earth at a spiritual venue. Its not free though, RM100 for adults. Then have attended it before, and found it to be useful. Only problem is that is in Batu Caves, so may have to brave the traffic on Saturday afternoons.


yoga-dls

Their Pamphlet

The excerpt from email I received below gives more details:

The Divine Life Society (DLS) Batu Caves conducts Hatha Yoga classes based on Swami Sivananda’s teachings. The next intake for beginners and intermediate is on 3rd October 2009. This is a 3 months course, conducted every Saturday from 3:45 pm to 5:00 pm at Yoga Block, Sivananda Ashram, THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY, Batu Caves, Selangor.

DLS is a charitable organization. One of our primary objectives are to disseminate spiritual knowledge to members of the public. Hence, for the 3 months yoga course – the fee is RM100 for adults and RM50 for students. Any poor students or adults who are unable to afford, we will waive their fee. Since our yoga fee is one of the cheapest in Klang Valley, many Chinese people grab this opportunity and attend our yoga classes. In fact, three quarter of our yoga students are non-Hindus. We are really not sure why the Hindus are not keen in learning Yoga. Many Hindus mis-interpret that Yoga is another form of exercise only. Yes it is an exercise, but there are many benefits in Yoga. In Yogic exercises, there is harmonious development of all the muscles of the body, internal organs, nerves and the frame. There are no rapid movements, hence there is no waste of energy. In Yoga, exercise movements are gentle and rhythmic, so energy is conserved. Kindly visit our Yoga Blog @ http://dls-malaysia-yoga.blogspot.com to gain more information on Yoga.

Thus, we would like to request your kind support to assist us to promote Hatha Yoga among your friends (especially Hindus) and relatives in Klang Valley. Attached is the Yoga New Intake poster for your distribution. If you would like to add our yoga blog link in your website, we would be very grateful.

Important Note: Yoga Asanas to be practiced by young people after twelve years of age, and not before. Hence, we do not accept students below twelve years of age.

Thanking you in advance for your support.

In service of Gurudev,

Prema Naidu

DLS Yoga Committee

Note: This is not a paid advertisement! 🙂

2 comments »

Posted in Indian, Religion

Tags:

animal abusers threaten peace in Shah Alam

August 28th, 2009
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


Update at 11.49pm: Malaysiakini mentions:

Contacted later, Mahyuddin distanced his organisation from the act of bringing the cow head to the protest.

“It is not our intention. We were surprised,” he said, denying that the act was intended to insult Hindus.

He said that the cow head was likely brought by angry residents.

“Maybe, they meant it (as a symbol of) stupidity. In Malay culture, the cow is a symbol of stupidity, or leaders that are stupid,” he said.

Looks like this guy is trying to evade responsibility for the crime the group committed. Will the investigations reveal “lack of evidence” later?

Also, The Star Online finally came out with a muted report:

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has asked the Inspector-General of Police to investigate a protest by a group against the proposed relocation of a Hindu temple in Shah Alam.

Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said Najib had also told him that he was upset with the incident.

The protesters, numbering 50, marched some 300m from the state mosque to the state secretariat building in Shah Alam Friday.

“Their actions, if not controlled from the beginning, may create unnecessary racial tension,” Dr Subramaniam said.

MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said the authorities should not allow anyone to challenge or ridicule any religion in this country.

“I urge everyone to be calm and let the authorities deal with it,” he said.

Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, in an email, condemned the protest and said such actions posed a threat to national security.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, in a statement, urged the state government to resolve the issue quickly, peacefully and rationally.

NST was more daring:

About 50 people gathered at the gates of the State Secretariat building here carrying a cow head and warned of further action if a temple is constructed in Section 23 here.

The group marched from the State Mosque about 300 metres away after Friday prayers.

Once at the gates of the building, they unfurled several banners calling for the temple to be moved and also on the beer issue.

They were at the gates for only 15 minutes before being dispersed by the police.

Some of the residents of Section 23, protesting against the temple relocation, demonstrated in front of the Selangor State Government Secretariat in Shah Alam today. Bernama pic.
Some of the residents of Section 23, protesting against the temple relocation, demonstrated in front of the Selangor State Government Secretariat in Shah Alam today. Bernama pic.

The group, who claimed to be residents from Section 23, shouted the names of Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim and executive councillor Dr Xavier Jayakumar, and said the cow head was for them.

The new temple in Section 23 was supposed to be the relocated Sri Maha Mariamman temple currently in Section 19.

The Section 19 temple is about 150 years’ old and originally located in a plantation, but when the State Economic Development Corporation decided to develop the area into a housing estate, it left the temple there.

It was supposed to be relocated, but the problem had been left idle for many years.

Initially the temple was supposed to be relocated in an industrial area in Section 22 but it was moved to Section 23 to make it more accessible for devotees.

However a group of people in the area have protested against it, saying it is a Muslim majority area and no temples should be allowed to be built there.

About 40 per cent of the population in the area are believed to be Hindus.

Meanwhile in an immediate response, MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu strongly condemned the action by the group.

“The cow is a sacred animal of the Hindus, and for this group to resort to such action, is intolerable and tantamount to challenging the freedom of religion as enshrined in the Malaysian Constitution.

He said nobody can be allowed to challenge or ridicule any religion in this country.

“I worry that this action may lead to retaliation from the Hindu community. However, I wish to urge the Hindus to be calm and let the authorities deal with it.

“The MIC is calling on the Government and the police to take action against the organisers of this group and their followers. They must be punished according to the law for endangering the racial harmony in this country.”

Meanwhile Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said while Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was promoting the 1Malaysia concept and racial unity, this kind of action would hinder the process and turn back the clock.

Dr Subramaniam said he had spoken to Prime Minister Najib Razak on the incident.

It may be dead, but stepping on the head of cow and spitting on it is abusive, vile, vicious, and unbecoming of people who claim to profess any religion. They have brought untold shame to their religion. This barbaric action is unforgivable, given that they just finished their prayers. Their evil action did not get support from the majority (only 50 people, whereas the Friday prayers crowd will see thousands attending in Shah Alam). Its time for DVS, PAWS or SPCA to lodge police report on animal abuse

I’ve surfed NST and Star online, but nothing on this issue till 8.45pm. Same with TV3 News.  Only Malaysiakini carrying the news since 3.00pm or so.

The news:

Some 50 residents enraged with the proposed relocation of a Hindu temple to their area staged a noisy protest with a severed cow’s head this afternoon.

The residents – from Section 23 in Shah Alam – who gathered after the Friday prayers, placed the head outside the gates of the state secretariat building for a short period before removing it.

“Where is Xavier? This head is for him,” shouted one of the protesters in reference to Selangor executive councillor Dr Xavier Jeyakumar.

Jeyakumar is one of those in charge of non-Muslim affairs in the state.

Earlier, the protesters had marched some 300m from the state mosque to the state secretariat building.

The protesters also condemned Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, exco member Rodziah Ismail (as the area falls under her state constituency) and Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad.

Before dispersing, several protesters spat and stomped on the cow’s head. The cow is considered sacred among Hindus.

Addressing the crowd, Section 23 action committee deputy chair Ibrahim Sabri said: “If there is blood, you (the state government) will be responsible if you are adamant about building the temple.”

“This is a warning. Relocate the temple to Section 22. This cow is a present to the state government. This is a gift from us,” he added.

The protesters also carried several banners which among others read ‘Take Beer’ (mocking PAS’ rallying cry of ‘Takbir’) and ‘Illegal temples are very small, but once relocated, they are as big as Putrajaya‘.

The crowd gathered for about 15 minutes at the main entrance of the state secretariat building under the watch of more than a dozen police personnel. [what were the police doing?]

‘We’ll not budge an inch’

Speaking to reporters later, Action Committee chair Mahyuddin Manaf warned that the state government must give in or the residents would retaliate.

“We will not budge one inch, even if lives are lost or blood is made to flow. We will still defend Section 23 from having a temple built there,” he said.[Hmm…later don’t blame anyone if you are in trouble with the law]
He added that a protest memorandum was forwarded to the state government two months ago but there has been no response.

On Aug 11, the state government announced that the relocation of the temple from Section 19 to Section 23 was final and will be situated 200m from the nearest house and 400m from a surau.

The temple will face an industrial lot and will be separated from the houses by a playground and a multi-purpose hall.

However, some residents felt that it was not appropriate to build a temple in a Muslim-majority area.

The Pakatan Rakyat state government accused rivals Umno of instigating the crowd to protest the relocation.

Jeyakumar to lodge police report

In an immediate reaction, a furious Jeyakumar described the protest as “unwarranted, unacceptable and without sensitivity towards other religions.”

He also said that he will lodge a police report on the matter soon.

“These people should have ethics. They are inciting racial and religious hatred. I am going to lodge a police report against these people,” he told Malaysiakini.

He also expressed disappointment towards the police personnel at the scene for not taking any action against the protesters.

“The police didn’t stop anybody. The police should have arrested them and charged them for inciting hatred,” he said, adding that he could tolerate with “ethical” demonstrations.

Following this, MIC’s Dr S.Subra said the following:

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is outraged over this afternoon’s ‘cow head’ protest in Shah Alam, said Human Resources Minister Dr S Subramaniam.

The MIC secretary-general told Malaysiakini that Najib had conveyed his disappointment when he telephoned him regarding the incident.

“The prime minister was very upset. He promised to look into the problem and nip it in the bud,” he said.

“Some 15 minutes later, the prime minister called back and said that he had spoken to Inspector-General of Police (Musa Hassan) and instructed him to take immediate action,” he added. [however, I heard nothing on the TV from PM or the IGP. So, just have to take Dr S.Subra’s words]

In a statement earlier, Subramaniam said incidents such as these hinder the 1 Malaysia concept being promoted by the premier and serve to only ‘turn back the clock’.

After performing their Friday prayers, some 50 angry residents from Section 23 in Shah Alam marched with the cow’s head to protest against the relocation of a Hindu temple to their area.

The protesters had marched from the state mosque to the state secretariat building.

“The group took their protest to the extreme by bringing a severed cow’s head which clearly is a sign of disrespect to the Hindu community,” Subramaniam said.

“It has emotionally angered the Hindus and if it is not controlled from the beginning, it may create unnecessary racial tension,” he warned.

Samy Vellu: This is intolerable

Meanwhile, Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy called the protest a “disgraceful” act.

“It was very uncivilised and brutish…and the group had just come after attending their (Friday) prayers,” the DAP leader said.

Also seeing red over the incident was MIC president S Samy Vellu, who called it an “intolerable” act carried out by an “extremist group.”

“The cow is a sacred animal of the Hindus, and for this group to resort to such action, is intolerable and tantamount to challenging the freedom of religion as enshrined in the Malaysian Constitution.

“It is the right of Malaysians of any faith, including Hindus to build temples and other places of worships. I am very sad that this group had paraded the cow’s head on their way to the state secretariat building,” he said in a statement.

“We must not allow anyone to challenge or ridicule any religion in this country. I am worried that this action may lead to retaliation from the Hindu community. However, I wish to urge the Hindus especially to be calm and let the authorities deal with it,” he added.

Samy Vellu called on the government and the police to take action against the organisers of this protest.

They must be punished according to the law for endangering racial harmony in this country, he added.

MIC Youth was also appalled and expressed shock over the protest.

“It is a very shameful and disgraceful act and they do not seem to have any feelings for the sentiments of the Hindu community,” said the wing’s chief T Mohan.

“We strongly condemn their actions and call on the authorities to take immediate action. There are proper channels to express one’s views but ridiculing the Hindu religion reflects the shallow minds of the protesters,” he added.

Human Rights Party leader P Uthayakumar was disappointed that the police did not arrest those involved in the protest.

He said the Attorney-General’s Chambers should initiate criminal proceedings and charge them under Sections 298 and 298 (A) of the Penal Code read together with Article 11 of the Federal Constitution.

Section 298 concerns the offence of uttering words etc with the deliberate intent to wound religious feelings while Section 298 (A) is related to the offence of causing disharmony.

Makkal Sakthi Party president S Thanendran also condemned the protest as a “barbaric” act.

He urged the Selangor government as well as the police not to tolerate this sort of behaviour and to take stern action against the protesters.

“How can a temple disturb the peace of these people?

“Things can become really ugly if we start raising other questions,” he said.

And our esteemed police chief had to say this:

Selangor police chief Khalid Abu Bakar today called on the public to remain calm in the wake of a protest against a proposed temple relocation which saw some 50 angry residents marching with a severed cow’s head in Shah Alam.

The police chief also cautioned the public against holding demonstrations which touch on religious sensitivities.

“There was no police permit for this protest. It was an illegal gathering. The crowd gathered for about 15 minutes and dispersed after they were instructed to do so.

“They were also ordered to remove the cow’s head, which they complied,” he told Malaysiakini.

As of now, Khalid said no police report has been lodged over the incident.

“If a report is lodged, we will definitely take the necessary action,” he stressed.

Expressing regret over the incident, the police chief reiterated that everyone should respect religious and racial sensitivities and not resort to such actions.

Exco to lodge police report

Selangor executive councillor Dr Xavier Jeyakumar said he would be lodging a police report over the matter soon. [waiting for what?]

He also expressed disappointment with police personnel who were at the scene for not taking action.

Following this afternoon’s Friday prayers, some 50 residents from Section 23 marched from the state mosque to the secretariat building in Shah Alam with the cow’s head.

The protesters then placed the cow’s head outside the gates of the state secretariat building before removing it later.

The protest evoked condemnation from various quarters, including MIC president S Samy Vellu and Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy.

Samy Vellu, who was saddened by the incident, urged the police to take action against the organisers.

Granted, this is an act by some people who were instigated, and most of the rakyat seem to know who are the perpetrators. The hooligans mentioned all kind of threats and the police still waiting for someone to make a report. How efficient and law-abiding. Since the state government said they will be meeting the folks of Section 23 to explain, why not wait? Worried that the residents will be convinced by the explanation?

There’s some hidden agenda here. While we need to address why the temple’s initial proposed location at Section 22 was changed to Section 23, the action by these few barbarians are not helping to solve the problem at all.

12 comments »

Posted in BornInMalaysia, Religion

Tags:

IKIM on child conversion

August 26th, 2009
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


I read the following article which appeared in the Star few days back. It was an interesting reading, because the author at first seemed to agree with automatic conversion of children when one of the parents convert, but towards the end, he focuses on the need to get the marriage dissolved properly first (under the laws/religion that solemnised the marriage) before deciding on children conversion issue.

I wonder what happened to the cabinet decision, which was deferred by Conference of Rulers so that state religious departments can give more feedback. Are we to wait until another tragedy happens?

Religious conversion, children and confusion
IKIM VIEWS
By DR WAN AZHAR WAN AHMAD
Senior Fellow/Director,
Centre for Syariah, Law and Political Science

It has been announced that when non-Muslim parents convert to Islam, the religion of their kids will remain in the same religion in which the marriage was solemnised. Such a statement contradicts the Federal Constitution, religious positions and causes confusion.

THE long existing misunderstanding over the religious status of minors resurfaced when an ill-informed Cabinet minister announced that the religion of minors from non-Muslim parents, upon the conversion of any of the parents to Islam, remains in the religion under which the marriage was solemnised. Such a statement contradicts the Federal Constitution and some religious positions. It worsens the confusion among the people and draws criticisms from both Muslims and non-Muslims.

The following explanation taken from Prof Dr Abdul Karim Zaydan’s voluminous al-Mufassal fi Ahkam al-Mar’ah (vol. 9, pp. 442-53) attempts to clear the air by explaining the standpoint of Islam.

Zaydan quotes authorities from reliable jurists of the past and their works. They include al-Kasani’s Bada’i’ al-Sina’i’, al-Marghinani’s al-Hidayah, Shirazi’s al-Muhazzab, Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi’s al-Mughni, al-Sharbini’s Mughni al-Muhtaj, etc. These scholars may come from different schools of laws but as a whole, they represent the position of Islam.

In Islam, if a child was born from Muslim parents, jurists unanimously agreed that he or she is a Muslim. Similarly, if the child was born from a Muslim father and a kitabiyah (Jewish/Christian) mother, he or she is a Muslim. The principle applied by jurists here is ‘al-shaghir yatba’u khayr al-abawayni dinan’ (in terms of religion, the child follows the best religion of his parent). Since Islam is deemed the best religion, the child follows the religion of his or her Muslim parent, either father or mother. [Herein lies the problem. Obviously each religion deems that its the best religion. So, its a bit perverted to use only one religion to make decision]

Kasani explains that a child must follow whatever religion confessed by his parent. This is fundamental as one cannot but have a particular religion whereby one is judged for all actions. For a child, due to a lack of reason and intelligence, the choice of his or her religion is made or determined through parents.

What is the status of a child’s religion if both parents renounce Islam and become apostates? Jurists from all legal schools maintain that the child remains a Muslim. This is the opinion of Maqdisi as stated in his Mughni, Kasani in Bada’i’, Shirazi in Muhazzab and Sharbini in Mughni al-Muhtaj.

Could a minor commit apostasy in the first place? A leading Hanafi jurist Imam Abu Yusuf holds that puberty is a pre-requisite for the validity of apostasy. Therefore, a minor cannot apostate.

Scholars from the Hanbali school state that a child’s apostasy is valid provided he or she is mumayyiz and do have some basic understanding about Islam, i.e. knowing that there is no God but Allah and that He has no rival, and that Muhammad (s.a.w.) is His servant and Messenger. It means that if the child is not mumayyiz and does not understand Islam in the basic sense, his or her apostasy is invalid and ineffective.

Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, the founder of the Hanbali school, was in favour of the invalidity of a minor’s apostasy based on a prophetic Hadith narrated by Ali bin Abi Talib r.a. and Aisyah r.a.

Reported by great traditionists like Bukhari and Ibn Majah, it states that “The pen (i.e. accountability) is lifted from three groups of people: an insane person till he becomes sane, a child till he reaches the age of puberty, and a sleeping person till he wakes up.” The Shafi’i jurists are of the opinion that apostasy by an underage child is meaningless. If it happens, it does not fall through, even though he or she is mumayyiz because such a child is yet to bear any religious responsibility (taklif) until and unless he reaches the age of maturity.

Therefore, we can safely conclude that all three schools of law are in agreement that apostasy by a minor is immaterial.

What is mumayyiz? It refers to a certain point of age when a child attains the ability to differentiate between good and evil, right and wrong. This may happen to any child below the age of puberty.

What is the age of puberty in Islam? Some scholars say that for boys, the age limit varies from seven to 15. The majority held that the most appropriate age is 15. The main indication for this is when they experience their first wet dream. For girls, jurists unanimously agreed that they reach puberty after experiencing their first menstruation.

For both boys and girls, they begin to carry religious responsibilities, i.e. become personally accountable (mukallaf) for all their actions after reaching this age of majurity.

Let’s examine the religious status of children from non-Muslim parents. The earlier basic principle that children follow the religion of parents applies here. If a child is born from a non-Muslim parent, he or she is not a Muslim. Similarly, if a child is born from apostate parents, he or she is considered an unbeliever.

The religious status of children appears most problematic when parent converts to Islam, especially if only one party does so. Generally speaking, if both father and mother embrace Islam, their children become Muslim as well.

If only one parent embrace Islam, their underage child becomes Muslim too. Between the two parents, the position of the one who embraces Islam is ‘stronger’ compared to the non-converting spouse. Therefore, a child follows the religion of the ‘stronger’ party. [Hmm..why stronger? I guess due to nature of the country one lives in and the laws the country has.]

The above position, however, is not to be understood in isolation of other considerations. In resolving marital disputes following a divorce on whatever grounds, paramount consideration must be given to the best interest and welfare of the children. This has been acknowledged by both syariah and civil laws.

Under certain circumstances, the best interest and welfare of the kids concerned does not relate to religious status, but rather to their early care and upbringing that does not necessarily involve religious education. [Agreed. the religious status of the child is not related to the welfare and best interest, unless of course you throw in all the benefits one gets as a … you-know-who. So, it kind of makes the playing field uneven.]

In Malaysia, the application of Islamic law is largely based on the school of Shafi’i. As regard to the conversion of minors when any of the parents embraces Islam, the general public is made to believe that those underage kids simply and automatically follow suit.

Interestingly, Zaydan’s Mufassal shows otherwise. The Shafi’i jurists, like Sharbini, hold a different opinion altogether. To them, the conversion of a minor is invalid. Their ground is the Prophet’s hadith narrated from Ali bin Abi Talib r.a. and Aisyah r.a. quoted earlier.

The hadith means that anyone who falls under any of the three categories is not to be held responsible or accountable for one’s action unless one is in complete control of reasoning, i.e. doing something consciously and willingly, knowingly of its purposes and consequences.

Since minority is one of those not accountable for any action, a minor’s conversion to Islam is irrelevant. In short, a minor is not obliged to shoulder any responsibility/accountability.

Therefore, any notion that Islam sanctions conversion of minors to the religion is questionable. I am more inclined to say that all the hue and cry on this issue is the result of ignorance, leading to the mistaken emphasis or over zealousness on something having no ground or footing in religion. [Hmm…what is this fellow trying to say now? No such thing as a minor converting?]

When a marriage breaks down due to conversion to Islam, the best solution must be sought from the religion under which the marriage was solemnised or the law under which the marriage was registered. All disputes pertaining to property, custody of minors and other ancillary rights must be resolved under that religious or legal system.

Any just and satisfactory solution at this level is extremely important as it will facilitate the parents concerned, either father or mother, to proceed with the choice of education or religious upbringing he/she wants for the minor accorded to them by the court.

All parties must come to their senses that they will not get all they pray for in the court of justice. If it so happens that custody of a certain child was given to any party, all must be content with such a decision unless the court itself has ignored or overlooked certain important aspects of the trial causing severe injustice to any party.

I acknowledge the fact that it is the collective responsibility of Muslims to pay serious attention to anything pertaining to their religion, especially if it threatens their dignity and interests. The same applies, I suppose, to followers of other religions. [“I suppose” ???]

But in protecting the sanctity of each religion, followers must not turn ridiculous as it will badly damage the image of their own religion. As a result, instead of bringing one person closer to a religion, they are actually distancing many others no matter how rigorous they explain the truth of the religion.

After all, if we really believe in the omnipotence or omniscience of God, none should worry as to where one would end up in the next life. A non-Muslim today may become Muslim tomorrow, and vice versa. Even if a corpse is cremated to ashes, the Almighty God knows where his place is. [This paragraph is what I like about the article]

Comments Off on IKIM on child conversion »

Posted in BornInMalaysia, Religion

Tags:

India Trip Day 4

August 16th, 2009
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


Read the caveats here before proceeding.

The following are events that took place on 7th July 2009 and covers Pondicherry-Chidambaram-Vaitheeswaran route. Read about the previous day here.

Photo of the day:


From D04-July-07-Pondicherry-Chidambaram-Vaitheeswaran

Woke up a bit early since we wanted to walk around the town. We took a walk along the beach and saw quite a number of people walk/exercising along the beach side at around 7.45am or so. The waves were not high but can still feel the strong current. Saw Gandhi’s statue and War Memorial along the less than 1 km beach. We also saw some important buildings facing the sea – Ambedkar Hall, Church, government offices etc. Some of them are of French architecture.


From D04-July-07-Pondicherry-Chidambaram-Vaitheeswaran

We walked past Sri Aurobindo ashramam again to take some pics because was rushing yesterday. Took breakfast at Adyar Anantha Bhavan restaurant (same place we had tea yesterday).


From D04-July-07-Pondicherry-Chidambaram-Vaitheeswaran

Next, we went searching for the Auroville Information Center and managed to find it after using the map. The center houses a handicraft shop and also workplace. Collected some info on visiting Auroville city. We left for Auroville which is about 13km away. Reached Auroville at 10.20am (about 30 minutes due to traffic and road conditions).

A bit on Auroville. It was established in 1968 as a city of peace. There are residents of various nationalities living there, each contributing to the maintenance and well-being of the city. There’s strict rules on use of polluting vehicles and also other worldly vices. The highlight of the city is the Matri Mandir, a huge globe covered with small gold discs. There’s also a very old banyan tree and a white urn which contains soil (earth) from many countries which was placed during the launching of the city in 1968.


From D04-July-07-Pondicherry-Chidambaram-Vaitheeswaran

From the visitor center, we walked about 1km or so to the viewing point. Yeah, to visit the interior of Matri Mandir, have to make prior reservations (at least a day earlier). You will be allowed to enter and meditate in the Mandir. For longer stays, have to contact and make reservations.


From D04-July-07-Pondicherry-Chidambaram-Vaitheeswaran

We took some photos of the Matri Mandir from the viewing point, and talked to the security guard manning the viewing point (a mound of earth actually).  We walked back to the visitor center (which is near to the restaurant, souvenir shops, and office management). Along the way, stopped at the to take photo of Sri Aurobindo’s statue. Proceeded to the souvenir shop – La Boutique d’ Auroville. Then did some shopping. Left Auroville at 12pm (hmm..more time shopping than viewing the Mandir!!!).


From D04-July-07-Pondicherry-Chidambaram-Vaitheeswaran

Took lunch at  Kaarthik Restaurant in Pondicherry and then checked out from hotel. Left for Chidambaram at 2.20pm.


From D04-July-07-Pondicherry-Chidambaram-Vaitheeswaran

Chidambaram is famous for the Akasha stalam (yet another of the Pancha Bootha stalam) Tillai Nadaraja Temple. Here, Lord Shiva is represented as the space element. He is known as Lord Nadaraja since he performed the cosmic dance at the citsabha here (There’s 5 dance halls for Lord Shiva, Chidambaram is the golden hall). We hired a guide to show us around the temple (and its a huge temple compound!). There’s many, many statues and carvings dating back to 2nd century or older. As with other great temples in India, the building and expansion of the temple was done gradually over hundreds of years. The actual age of the inner temple is subject to debate, I guess.


From D04-July-07-Pondicherry-Chidambaram-Vaitheeswaran

Anyway, we arrived at 4pm, walked around, took photos and then entered the inner compound around 5.30pm. We were forewarned that the priests in this temple (this temple is privately run by the priests) will ask for lots of money for various reasons). I was looking forward to see the Chidambaram Ragasiyam (refer here , here, and here), and waited patiently for the 6pm pooja.  Managed to see the black curtain, but no sight of the golden vilvam leaves. As “warned” earlier, towards the right side of the moolastanam there will one or two priests handing out vibuthi. If they sense you are not local, they will ask where you are from and proceed to promote some prayer or another). The guy in front of me was from out of town and they asked Rs300 for some special prayer. I decided to skip the vibuthi part. Also, the priest (or staff) seem not to be showing respect to the visitors or devotees, simply saying “poh, poh”, or pushing people away. When we went to climb up (at the side entrance), the guy there said only certain people can go, and that its closed already.  To make the long story short, I was really angry with the situation at this temple. Maybe not meant to be my turn yet to visit Lord Nadaraja.

I made my way out, blood boiling. Came all the way from Malaysia and some jokers make the life miserable. I really cursed those fellas!


From D04-July-07-Pondicherry-Chidambaram-Vaitheeswaran

Left Chidambaram at 6.50pm for next stop – the popular Vaitheswaran temple in Vaitheswaran. Reached the temple around 8pm. Went for a quick tour and prayer in the temple. I can imagine Sarath Kumar making an entry in this temple as per the movie “Vaitheeswaran”.  Why this temple is famous? Well, for two things: the “olai chuvadi” (leaves that contain details about an individual, writtten thousands of years ago), and the medicinal healing properties of the temple prasatham. Its also one of the nine temples that represent the Navagraha (this one represents Mars).

From D04-July-07-Pondicherry-Chidambaram-Vaitheeswaran

There’s a few shops outside the temple that are “agents” (I think) for the olai chuvadi business. We went to one of the stall. From what I know, not everyone’s record is available (well, with 6 billion over people, it will take a lot of storage!), so depends on your luck. There are very few places that store these leaves, so you may have try in the other venues as well. After searching twice, the guy managed to find the leaves that contain, ahem, my records. Basically, the use your thumb print to identify the suitable set of leaves, and by process of questions, eliminate the leaves in the set to  find your records. They also provide a cassette recording of the session so that you can go back and listen to it. There’s also a standard pooja (for a fee of course) which will be done by their guru for your well-being, and the prasatham posted to your home (Got mine two days after returning home). For me, being the skeptical person, I have my doubts on the validity of the “agents” and the readings. The olai may exist, but surely only for small number of people. I can’t imagine someone writing down the records for millions of peoples who will be living centuries later. Oh ya,  my “readings” were all normal, nothing out of the ordinary. Cost for full package (meaning it covers all topics – health, career, family, marriage, wealth, blah blah blah) is about Rs3000.

Tired from the travels, we hit the sack around 10pm. Stayed at Balaji Lodge for the night.

Continue reading Day 5 here.

2 comments »

Posted in I Was Here, Personal

Tags: