Stephanie Sta MariaThe Kita president defends the right of Muslims to religious freedom which he says is enshrined under Article 11.
More than 30 police and JAIS officers stormed a thanksgiving dinner at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) premises last Wednesday.
The authorities claimed they had received a complaint that Christians were attempting to convert the 12 Muslims present at the dinner that night. Until today, no evidence or details of the complaint had been made public.
Zaid however pointed out that the true essence of Article 11 forbade proselytising to Muslims but acknowledged a Muslim’s right to religious freedom.
“Kita believes that this freedom belongs to everyone – Muslims and non-Muslims – and is a fundamental right of every human being,” he said in a statement today.
“We believe it is cruel for anyone to be forced to accept a religious belief or faith that he or she in all good conscience has renounced or refuses to believe in.”
The lawyer-turned-politician warned of similar raids in other parts of the country and of more Muslims being punished for exercising their freedom to believe.
“There will be more confusion and an escalating war of attrition among religious communities,” he predicted.
“State laws will continue empowering officers to make arrests and raid premises so that they can make sure Muslims are not in the company of evangelical Christians.”
Zaid rapped JAIS of being too duty-bound in preventing Muslims from exercising their right to convert instead of understanding what “lies inside the heart of Muslims”.
“JAIS is simply happy to punish and imprison someone like Kamariah Ali (a follower of Ayah Pin) and regard her as a deviant Muslim,” he said. “It does not matter what her true beliefs are, just as it does not matter if she is happy with the faith.”
Silence from the Pakatan camp
The former PKR supreme council member also said that the Pakatan Rakyat component parties would not support the true meaning of Article 11 for different reasons.
PAS, he said, would not step up because of its belief that freedom of choice would give a “lesser” Muslim the opportunity to deviate from the faith.
He added that PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim would not risk his chances of becoming prime minister while DAP would be concerned about losing votes and Penang.
“That explains why the great defenders of freedom in Pakatan had to issue a gag order. Don’t address sensitive issues, is what they seem to be saying… get to Putrajaya first,” he said.
Zaid said that the issue would be dealt with differently under a Kita-run government as the party was the only one in the country fearless enough to defend Article 11.
“We would refer Article 11 to a properly constituted Constitutional Court,” he said.
“If the court was to hold that Article 11 applies to Muslims as well, then they would not need to hide in church premises to exercise their beliefs.
“And agencies such as JAIS would not need the power to trespass and ransack private properties to look for possible converts. Our motto would be, ‘To each his own’.
“If the Constitutional Court rules that the intent of Article 11 is not to accord religious freedom to Muslims as well then we would need to amend the Federal Constitution,” he continued.
“We would insert an all empowering Article stating that all laws must conform to the Quran, and that laws contravening Islamic tenets and practices would be void. Islamic tenets and Islamic practices, in this case, would be those that are approved by the Conference of Rulers,” he said.
According to Zaid, the problem today is that Malaysia had a secular Federal Constitution but politically wanted Muslim laws to be the primary governing instrument.
And the politicians, he claimed, would not touch a crucial issue if it meant jeopardising their popularity.
“Some will continue to express anger and frustration, but nothing will change,” he said. “Kita is the only party that is truly ready and capable of making that change happen.”
PAS, he said, would not step up because of its belief that freedom of choice would give a “lesser” Muslim the opportunity to deviate from the faith.
ReplyDeleteHe added that PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim would not risk his chances of becoming prime minister while DAP would be concerned about losing votes and Penang.
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Sabah people should reject all the party from malaya which only making used of religion and race to achieve their political agenda.
Get lost UMNO, PKR, DAP, MCA, PAS and GERAKAN from Sabah!
We must have a freedom of religion...freedom to choose our religion, that is the basic right of any human being of this planet.
ReplyDeletechoosing a religion is a very personal and private choice...why not the malaysian umno or whatever religious bodies just leave this matter alone...being paranoid is just as feeling insecure about your belief.
Does Islam forbid their followers to join any charities that are held by another religion?
ReplyDeleteLuckily this sort of things does not happen in Sabah and Sarawak.
ReplyDeleteJgn hairan, satu hari nanti negara ini akan mengalami nasib yg sama seperti indonesia. perlembagaan indonesia secara jelas sudah menyatakan tentang kebebasan menyeluruh utk memilih agama dan negara ini adalah negara sekular. pun begitu kawalan ketat terhadap isu2 mengenai agama masi dikuatkuasakan dan nampaknya ia memihak kepada agama islam. dgn kejadian penganiyaan dan kekejaman terhadap penganut agama lain seperti Kristian, rumah ibadat & gereja dibakar, dan yg paling teruk nyawa melayang. kejadian kekejaman terhadap pengikut ahmadiyah baru2 ini adalah yg paling brutal tetapi pelaku jenayah agama hanya dipenjarakan selama 3 bulan (maksimum) dan ada yg tinggal di penjara hanya kira2 seminggu dgn layanan kelas pertama. bukankah kesalahan membunuh harus dijatuhkan hukuman bunuh mengikut islam? Tanda2nya sudah ada yg negara ini semakin terarah ke kencah perpecahan kaum dan agama. siapakah penyebabnya? tidak lain dan tidak bukan, mereka adalah pemimpin2 teragung negara. merekalah yg membuatkan semuanya jadi serba kelangkabut dan ribut. lagipun merekalah yg menggubal undang2 negara ini. perlembagaan kita saja sudah lbh 600 kali dipinda dlm tempoh 48 tahun berbanding negara amerika yg hanya sebanyak beberapa kali dlm tempoh ratusan tahun. ternyata pemimpin kita lagi bijak tetapi bijak sesuai dgn istilah "bodoh sombong".
ReplyDeleteEvery religion teaches us to be a good person. Even in the Rukun Negara, uttering Kepercayaan kepada Tuhan is the first thing we do. So, let the person choose his/her own belief. Quality is better than quantity; it is way much better when someone practicing his/her belief instead of many followers but they don't practice the teachings.
ReplyDeleteStop being FANATICS and HYPOCRITES! Stop suppressing other religions and the minorities. You yourself is the one who gives the bad impression of your religion.
ReplyDeleteIn our federal constitution Article 11 clearly stated FREEDOM OF RELIGION
ReplyDeleteIs this only apply for NON MUSLIM?
Why in Indonesian they can denounce from islam to other faith except Malaysia? Is Malaysia islamic teaching is difference from Indonesia?
No compulsion in Islam is merely a slogan. Cakap tidak serupa bikin!
isu2 melibatkan agama ini harus kita jgn mainkan lagi.
ReplyDeleteisu berkaitan agama perlu diselesaikan dengan sebaiknya..
ReplyDeleteVery sensitive issue. Jais should apologize...
ReplyDeleteMasalah ini harus diselesaikan dengan segera sebelum ianya dipolitikkan.
ReplyDeleteagaknya siapalah yang membuat aduan kepada JAIS?
ReplyDeleteada pihak yang mengatakan serbuan tersebut adalah dirancang. entah benar ka tidak. tapi diharap isu ini tidak merenggangkan hubungan sesama Islam dan Kristian.
ReplyDeleteI believe it is every individual's right to believe whatever religion he or she chooses.
ReplyDeleteTo enforce into people is no more or less like communism, dictatorship...no democracy, no humanitarian rights or privileges.
Being paranoid won't lead us any way but will eventually lead to defiance by the suppressed, the oppressed in their want of belief otherwise.
Ini kerana sekarang ada khabar angin mengatakan ajaran sesat mula berkembang. Tapi ini tidak mustahil berlaku. Baru-baru ini juga saya sendiri menerima laporan tempat Klinik swasta menjadi tempat mereka untuk menyebarkan agama mereka. Harap masalah ini akan dapat ditangani.
ReplyDeletefreedom of RELIGION my foot. our written constitution more to scrap because of those so islamic leader. what they mean freedom if not involve everyone.? just see the justification of FREEDOM. Does it state that there is "but" on it. FREEDOM is no "but". so anyone can choose what religion he or she desire to uphold. and now there born a NGO called pencegah murtad. phui.... go to hill with that group. my business with God cannot interrupted by other people.
ReplyDeletedo not do something that could be described as preventing the people freedom. but do something about how to enable the people in this country are loyal to their religion.
ReplyDelete