report on the ‘islamization in malayisa’ forum

remember the ‘islamisation in malaysia‘ forum i had highlighted? i did say i will give a report after attending it but i did not really jotted down whatever transpired so can’t give the report. no fear though… there was another herald stringer writer who wrote the report to herald. she’s a much better writer than me, thus a better report i’m sure! well i believe she’s a professor of some higher learning institution, so naturally her report has to be good.

the turnout was fantastic! about 800 people! (see picture, courtesy of the herald). the organisers were over-whelmed at the huge turnout as normally our forums/seminars only attracted at the most 150. i was not surprise though at the huge turnout as for one thing, this was very well publicised and for another this topic – islamisation – was one that many people would be interested in.

ok, here is the report, taken from the herald of course. (in 3 segments).

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PENANG: The Catholic community in Penang  are concerned and want to be better informed about happenings that affect the rakyat of Malaysia. They care.

Dr Azmi Sharom — Associate Professor, Law Faculty, Universiti Malaya and Star columnist (Brave New World) — began with the legal definitions of an Islamic state, and on the need to retain Common Law versus Syariah Law. He opened with a bang: “Is Malaysia an Islamic country? Yes!” The audience was silent and…confused. “Is it an Islamic State? No!” The audience was flushed with relief.

The learned and eloquent professor  hastened to explain that being an “Islamic country” means having a majority Muslim population, which appropriately describes Malaysia. However, “An Islamic state implies that the governance of the country — its democracy and laws are derived from the Holy Qur’an and the Hadith,” which is surely an inapt description of Malaysian governance.

(note: picture here shows left to right: archbishop soter fernandez, bishop antony selvanayagam, dr azmi sharom and fr. francis anthony. the last 2 persons mentioned were 2 of the 3 speakers).

The confusion arose, he said, because Article 3 of the Constitution states that Islam is the religion of the Federation. This has led to the fallacious reasoning that therefore the Constitution — the foundation of all our laws and system of governance — is an Islamic one. “This is wrong,” announced Dr Azmi, in a clear bid to rectify the misconception.

The confusion is compounded by the fact that “The Constitution does not say whether it is secular; neither does it say it is Islamic.” But the traveux preparatoire (preparatory documents) of the Constitution, namely the Reid Report, states very clearly that even though Article 3 exists, it does not mean in any way that the Constitution is not a secular one.

According to Dr Azmi, it is a Mahathir-caused confusion arising out of his unilateral declaration that Malaysia is an Islamic State. Abdullah Badawi and Najib, his deputy, have simply continued to perpetuate this fallacy. Through this constant repetition they hope that it will indeed become the “truth” and what’s more, a ploy to outwit PAS in the latter’s bid for an Islamic State, because then the government can simply say, hey, but, we’re already an Islamic State!  “In their short-term quest for political mileage, the current leaders have lost all sense of moral direction to tell the truth,” said the aggrieved Dr Azmi.

The current call for Syariah law to replace Common Law is equally flawed. Among  reasons offered, Dr Azmi countered it best by reasoning how wrong it is to force a source of law that is of divine origin, on people who do not believe in that divine source. It is plain that a country that has been founded as a democracy cannot be allowed to slip into a theocracy. “The Constitution is a secular document and it is the supreme law of the land — not the Bible, not the Qur’an, not the Torah, not the Vedas!” Dr Azmi declared.

Furthermore, he cautioned that a Constitution of divine origins cannot easily be debated, amended, changed or set aside, unlike a secular democracy which allows people to have a say in the manner they are governed, including the laws that govern them.

Regarding the “Allah” controversy, he is appalled at the government’s desperate attempt to mollycoddle the Muslim mind, and control “Islamic thought.”

— By Lucille Dass

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Conversion to Islam — one way ticket

PENANG: As a lead into the forum, Joachim Xavier, of the PHDC, noted that an important role of the PHDC was to educate the parish about real life issues that affect them. When properly informed, Catholics will be able to discuss these issues wisely and act justly vis-à-vis their fundamental rights and status as practising Catholics in Malaysia. His brief overview of the current scenario was matched in pictures with a video presentation titled Malaysia at the Crossroads.

Bernard Baldev Bhar — Chairman  Catholic Lawyers, Penang Diocese — in turn enlightened the people on the legal implications of converting to Islam. He put it plainly, “You can go in, but you cannot come out!” He supported this with a comprehensive listing of Articles and actual cases in attendance to drive home the serious implications. He clearly scored a point when he mentioned that even Shah Rukh Khan (a superstar of Bollywood fame) was arrested for sleeping with his non-Muslim wife, on Malaysian soil!

Later, the audience expanded this list of inappropriate arrests by paranoid RELA officers who thought nothing of making a  Malaysian mockery of the institution of marriage. Bernard also fielded a large number of questions of a legalistic nature during the Q & A segment.

— By Lucille Dass

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How Catholics can respond

PENANG: The cool and calm Fr Francis Anthony, parish priest of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit set the tone for his take on How Catholics can respond to the issues raised, in a calm and fair manner.

He began by tracing and placing the Church in the heart of society; a living and responding Church that respects the truth and faith of others, and illustrated this with “If you love me, follow me”.

He explained, “In addressing the whole world, the Church upholds the moral values of justice, peace and freedom.” When these values go missing in the world, the Church earnestly seeks to restore them for the good of the individual and society. Since individuals add up to form society, ultimately, the society reflects the individuals.

He cautioned that if a governing body (be that of a church) does not help or encourage an individual to express himself, grow, and develop as he rightly should, then that governing body is at fault. He regretted that in an age of such technological advancement, “People are denied the whole truth, and given only selective information. Information helps form a person. We want the truth, for the good of the individual and society.”

He also called for a stop in repeating fallacious statements with the misplaced intention to turn them into “gospel truth.”

 Referring to the Beatitudes and the Good Samaritan episode, Fr FA exemplified how the Church must reach out when there is a need. Enumerating the similarities between Christianity and Islam, he showcased the Catholic Church’s stance towards Islam.

He also reminded people of the Pope’s exhortation to be informed about the faith of others for peaceful co-existence. Finally, the prayerful priest reminded his flock that prayers must always underlie all our acts and efforts because we are the Church.

The forum concluded with an interesting Q & A session. (Note: A CD recording of the forum is available. For orders & further information call Emily at 012 2728893).

— By Lucille Dass