So, a new law will be passed.
excerpt:
PUTRAJAYA: The Government will soon introduce a regulation requiring non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam to inform their family before doing so.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said this would prevent problems of families disputing the conversion of their loved ones when they die. He suggested that non-Muslims who intend to convert have a form or letter declaring that their families had been told and had understood his or her decision.
Noting that there was no such regulation at present, Abdullah advised them to inform their families to “make things easier for everyone.” - Read full article
I wonder if this law was made in the interest of the convert, or for the convenience of the authorities? Does it really solve the problem? How does the law help the convert?
Has anyone asked the question as to WHY a non-muslim convert does it in secret? I’ll suggest a reason: the family won’t agree and won’t accept the person any more. So now they HAVE to tell them that they’ve converted. SO? What makes the government think that by telling of their conversion, the convert can obtain the signatures to acknowlege it?
I tell you, when your family disowns you, and looks at you in disdain, and make your life a terrible one, the last thing on your list of worries is who gets your body after you die.
So a person wants to become a muslim. His family disagrees. They don’t sign the declaration. What happens then? Is he recognised as a muslim by the authorities? when he dies, will the Islamic authorities accept that they have no claim over the deceased body, or will they bring the kadi from the mosque the deceased frequents for his prayers and proclaim that the deceased is indeed a muslim, and take away the body anyway. It’ll be quite interesting how this law will be enforced, especially on the part of the religious authorities.
Cant we see that there exists a system here in our country, where ‘religious correctness’ takes precedence over the person’s welfare. What makes it worse is that this ‘religious correctness’ is very nicely embedded into the laws of the land.
Ex: A woman has the word ‘Muslim’ on her IC. But she doesnt pray to Allah, she doesn’t know Him, nor does she practice Islam in anyway. She lives and breathes Christianity. When she desires to have the word ‘Muslim’ removed, the National Registration Department says they have no jurisdiction over this. Since you are ‘technically’ a Muslim, the case is transferred to the Syariah courts, who, of course, will legally label this apostasy, and will have none of it. Application rejected. Muktamad. When the (christian in ’spirit and truth’) lady dies, and her Christian family wants to bury her body, the religious authorities come knocking down the door saying she’s a Muslim and so they have to have the body.
the scenario above is an amalgamation of recent, real incidents. What you make of it, I leave up to your judgement, but it ‘kinda’ accurately illustrates my point about the religious rigidity the government enforces.
It seems to me that this law was only made for the ‘convenience’ of keeping everything ‘by the book’. It doesn’t really ‘make things easier for everyone’ as Pak Lah says. Especially for the central person in the quagmire - the convert.
Btw, can I suggest another law be made that if a Muslim WANTS to leave Islam, and the family consents, and signs a form, that the authorities won’t hound give them a difficult time?
P/S: Forgive the rather cluttered post. I was thinking as I was typing, so the thoughts may seem a little strewn.
