Stop ‘paper conversion’ of villagers to Islam – Momogun

PENAMPANG - The Momogun National Congress (MNC) has urged the National Registration Department (NRD) to stop the “paper conversion” of poor and illiterate Dusun and Murut villagers to Islam by irresponsible NRD officials without these villagers going through actual conversion to Islam.

MNC president Datuk Henrynus Amin in a statement said MNC was deeply disturbed by reports of NRD officials  illegally changing the religious status of unsuspecting Dusun and Murut villagers without getting the necessary consent from those affected.

Henrynus said there must be an immediate investigation into allegations of poor and illiterate Dusun and Murut villagers who are non-Muslim being illegally reclassified by NRD as Muslim in their identity cards.

“There are numerous reports of families facing difficulty due to their religious status as Muslim in their identity card when in fact they are not Muslim,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Henrynus said immediate actions must be taken against rouge elements within NRD who were illegally manipulating the national data system with impunity.

He said recent reports in the press reinforced popular public perceptions that there exists a conspiracy to target illiterate and unsuspecting Dusun and Murut villagers for paper conversion to Islam.

“While religious conversion from one religion to another is quite common in Sabah, illegally changing the religious status of poor, illiterate and unsuspecting villagers without their consent is serious a crime,” said Henrynus who is the former member of parliament for Kinabalu (now Ranau).