Dr. Farish Noor
(Dr. Farish A. Noor is currently visiting professor at Sunan Kalijaga Islamic University, Jogjakarta, Indonesia)
Quote:
Read here full article by Dr.Farish Noor"... Malaysian citizens like Lina Joy have been summarily denounced, demonised and vilified by conservative Malay-Muslim groups and movements in Malaysia as a ‘traitor’ to her race and religion.
There are actually more non-Muslims converting to Islam on a daily basis than the opposite. Yet oddly enough few of these new converts to Islam are denounced as ‘traitors’ to their race and religion.
So why the double standards?And why do the right-wing conservatives in Malaysia bemoan the insignificant ‘loss’ of one of their members, while celebrating the conversion of others?
...the very same right-wingers who have preached a discourse of hate now demand that she returns to Malaysia to stand before a Shariah court, in order to criminalise herself by declaring herself to be an apostate.
It has even been suggested by some that Lina Joy’s conversion was something done at a whim, as if converting from one religion to another is akin to choosing between Coke and Pepsi.
(Lina Joy) happens to be a Malaysian and as Malaysians we should be ashamed that one of our number has been forced to flee into asylum as she can no longer live in her country.
The right-wing hate-mongers and demagogues who have threatened her safety have done so partly on the grounds that she constitutes a threat and a danger to the Muslim community.
But in their hate campaigns that have divided Malaysia’s multi-religious nation so clearly, one can argue that these communitarian and sectarian bigots are the real peddlars of anti-Malaysian and un-Malaysian ideas and sentiments.
Who is the real victim and who are the real culprits then?
-Farish Noor
Excerpts:Read here for more
" How long can a country be at the crossroads of its history?
It seems that Malaysia in particular has been stuck at some empasse and has not been able to move on; a situation that has been aggravated by the culture of communitarian, sectarian politics that is rife in the nation, and which has been elevated from the racial to religious register.
The stagnant state of Malaysian popular political culture was demonstrated recently over the case of the Malaysian citizen Lina Joy, who was born a Muslim and who has, for the past several years, been appealing to the justice system of the country to allow her to be recognised as a Christian after her conversion many years ago.
Lina Joy’s is not the only case in the troubled land: At present several other cases are likewise trapped in the imbroglio that is the Malaysian legal system.
Now there is also a case of a Malaysian who was accidentally switched at birth and brought up by a Malay-Muslim family, who is claiming the right to be correctly recognised as a Malaysian of Chinese origin and who wishes to return to the faith of his original family…
What is most troubling about all these cases is HOW Malaysian citizens like Lina Joy have been summarily denounced, demonised and vilified by conservative Malay-Muslim groups and movements in Malaysia as a ‘traitor’ to her race and religion.
Yet we forget that the figures point to the opposite: That despite everything, there are actually more non-Muslims converting to Islam on a daily basis than the opposite.
Yet oddly enough few of these new converts to Islam are denounced as ‘traitors’ to their race and religion.
So why the double standards?
And why do the right-wing conservatives in Malaysia bemoan the insignificant ‘loss’ of one of their members, while celebrating the conversion of others?
Lina Joy has now been forced to leave Malaysia in search of asylum elsewhere, for fear that her life may be in danger.
There is ample justification behind this move, for indeed her life has been threatened by hate mails, death threats, and public declarations of moral outrage by the right-wingers. Lina’s photo was circulated in the internet, her name and reputation have been torn to shreds as a result of a malicious hate-campaign spread through cyberspace, sms-es and public demonstrations.
Yet the very same right-wingers who have preached a discourse of hate now demand that she returns to Malaysia to stand before a Shariah court, in order to criminalise herself by declaring herself to be an apostate.
Skewered justice indeed.
Beyond the courtroom debates and legal fine-points, we often forget that at the heart of the matter is a plight of a Malaysian citizen, who, for reasons best known to herself, has made what has to be a difficult decision to change her belief.
It has even been suggested by some that Lina Joy’s conversion was something done at a whim, as if converting from one religion to another is akin to choosing between Coke and Pepsi.
To add insult to injury, this lonely Malaysian who was the subject of so many hate campaigns is now being treated in the most patronising manner.
Yet I write this as someone who has several Muslim friends who are converts to Islam, and I know very well how difficult the choice was for them.
In the four cases I know, conversion to Islam led to ostracisation and alienation from their former relatives and friends, and the lingering suspicion of their motives. Their commitment to the religion of their choice, however, remains steadfast and we commend them for their courage and commitment.
So why can't Muslims demonstrate that same understanding for those who leave Islam for another creed?
Why is the anguish of converts to Islam more legitimate, more real, more authentic, compared to the anguish of those who convert from Islam?
This reminds me of the words of the late Nurcholish Madjid, the most prominent Muslim intellectual of postcolonial 20th century Indonesia.
He once said that :Whatever the circumstances may be at present, and despite the legal-political obstacles placed before her, Lina Joy is a Christian and she has been a Christian for the past several years."...we Muslims still cannot go beyond the logic of tribalism, and we think that being a Muslim is like belonging to a tribe called ‘Muslims’.
Muslims still think in these parochial, tribalist terms, and that is why when one person leaves Islam he or she is denouced as a traitor to the tribe. But Islam is not a tribal entity.
Being a Muslim is not like belonging to the Blue Tribe or the Green Tribe; it is a state of mind, an existential state of being."
No amount of slander, abuse or threats of violence will change that. She also happens to be a Malaysian.
As Malaysians we should be ashamed that one of our number has been forced to flee into asylum as she can no longer live in her country.
The right-wing hate-mongers and demagogues who have threatened her safety have done so partly on the grounds that she constitutes a threat and a danger to the Muslim community.
But in their hate campaigns that have divided Malaysia’s multi-religious nation so clearly, one can argue that these communitarian and sectarian bigots are the real peddlars of anti-Malaysian and un-Malaysian ideas and sentiments.
Who is the real victim and who are the real culprits then?
COMMENTARY:
".... How many societies in the world actively celebrate discrimination against their own? As various Muslim groups and quarters laud the decision of the Federal Court in Lina Joy v. Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan & Ors, the more devious implication of the majority decision is lost on many.
As a result of the aforementioned case, an extra requirement is imposed upon members of the faithful in matters relating to membership of the faith; a requirement which is NOT imposed upon other segments of Malaysia’s various religions.
This means that non-Muslims, and therefore by implication the non-Bumiputeras, are afforded more human rights than the princes of the soil.
But instead of being up in arms over this form of discrimination, conservative Muslim groups have decided to celebrate the decision as a move which protects the special status of Islam in Malaysia at the expense of a human right.
This discrimination was mentioned by His Lordship Richard Malanjum FCJ himself in his dissenting judgment:
" Regulation 4… has, however, singled out Muslims for additional procedural burdens and impediments which are not connected to personal law. It requires that any registrant or person applying who is a Muslim has to state his or her religion. The requirement does not apply to non-Muslims. There is therefore a differential treatment for Muslims. Hence, in my view this tantamount(s) to unequal treatment under the law… In other words it is discriminatory and unconstitutional and should therefore be struck down...."The case of Lina Joy also signifies the growing Islamisation of the country when conservatives are willing to sacrifice their very own freedom in a bid to protect Islam as the religion with a special status in the country.
It is worrying when one imagines what else they are willing to sacrifice. Yes, it is noble to protect Islam from unwanted influences, but one must realize that any idea or belief which unifies also operates by way of exclusion.
Are the wishes of one woman enough to bind the whole ummah?
Taking that further, are we willing to imprison Bumiputeras so as to protect its special status?
The case of Lina Joy merely sets the road upon which this nation is travelling on stone, and it has deviated so far we know not where we are.
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