Non-Muslims under Syariah Law
The forum titled “Conversion to Islam: Article 121(1a) of the Federal Constitution: Subashini and Shamala Revisited” was forced to stop by protesters.
The Muslim protesters believed the “Conversion to Islam” as a sensitive issue. The forum would undermine Islam and questioned the privileges of Malays and Muslims. According to them, non-Muslims must not discuss about Syariah Law & Court. If non-Muslim wanted to understand the matters they should talk with Muslims in a closed forum, but not in an open discussion.
Meanwhile, Bar Council president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan said the forum was trying to find a solution for family members affected by the conversion of one family member to Islam due to the conflicts relating to jurisdiction between the syariah and civil courts.
In line with Ambiga, Former Suhakam commissioner and activist Mehrun Siraj said that the forum would discuss a divorce case between a Muslim convert and a non-converting spouse. If the case is is brought to the syariah court, the non-Muslim would feel his or her rights were affected. She believed that conflicts between Muslims and non-Muslims should be resolved through open discussion.
If the case is brought to the syariah court, then the syariah law applies to both Muslim and non-Muslim.
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Suhakam urges PM to amend civil laws to resolve conflicts
KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 10, 2008): Former Suhakam commissioner Dr Mehrun Siraj has urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to amend the civil laws to resolve the conflicts between a Muslim convert and a non-converting spouse.She said the lawyers had previously proposed that a section of the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 be amended, but to date, nothing has been done about it.
“I want to throw a challenge to the Prime Minister. Amend the law to show you are sincere about resolving the issue. And don’t dolak dalik (be wishy washy) and pretend there are all kinds of reasons you can’t do it.
“If you really want to resolve the issue, amend the constitution,” she said after the abrupt end of the Bar Council’s forum titled “Conversion to Islam: Article 121(1a) of the Federal Constitution: Subashini and Shamala Revisited” on Saturday.
The International Islamic University Malaysia adjunct professor, who attended the forum as she believed in open discussions, said the current law confines it only to non-Muslims, unless a divorce is applied for on the grounds of conversion to Islam by the party who does not convert.
“We can amend that section to say even the party who converts should be allowed to apply for divorce. That way, he or she can resolve matters with his or her non-Muslim family because when the (civil) court grants a divorce to the non-Muslim spouse, the court can also make orders for custody, maintenance, division of property and so on.
“As it is now, you can do this under the civil law, provided the non-Muslim spouse applied. But if you amend it to let the Muslim spouse to also apply, maybe he or she can then resolve issues with a non-Muslim spouse before entering into another marriage. That is what he or she should do.
“Islam does not condone the behaviour of abandoning your family. And certainly we, as Muslims, do not want anybody to make use of Islam to get out of their obligations. That would be wrong,” she said.
Mehrun said when a divorce case between a Muslim convert and a non-converting spouse is brought to the syariah court, the non-Muslim would feel his or her rights were affected.
She said the issue is not about Islam as a religion but the laws which could be amended for the benefit of everyone.
“From the perspective of Islam, if we explain the right things to the non-Muslims, they would not be afraid or worried and will understand Islam better. But if we act harshly and rudely, like some of those who came to stop the forum, people will think this is what Islam is,” she said.
Earlier, one of the demonstrators who claimed he represented Umno had told her off for being in the forum, saying she was conspiring with the organiser.
To this, she had said: “You represent Umno, I represent the Muslims. Muslims must act based on the Qur’an and Sunnah (sayings of the Prophet). We must behave well. Muslims must not be rude. I’m ashamed of your behaviour. Islam does not condone this.”
She told reporters the protestors had given Islam and Muslims a bad name and she felt very strongly about it as they were insulting her intelligence.
“He said if I sit down means I am supporting this. (The fact is) If you sit down it means you are listening and you can contribute and explain things to people. It does not necessarily mean you agree with any views that are posed on Islam,” she added.
Mehrun also suggested that a section of the Selangor Administration of Muslim Law Enactment, which provides that the syariah court should not make any decisions that affect the rights of non-Muslims, to be applied to all states.
She said under the state enactment, the syariah court can reject a case if the conflict is between a Muslim and a non-Muslim spouse. Therefore, the couple should resolve any outstanding issues first before coming to the syariah court.
Ends
Source: http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=24587
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Najib: Forum disruption expected
KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 10, 2008): Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak said today the disruption of the Bar Council’s open forum on conversion to Islam was “expected” and blamed the council for being “stubborn” in not listening to advice from the authorities.
Commenting on Saturday’s forum which had to be ended prematurely due to a noisy protest by about 500 people outside the venue in Lebuh Pasar Besar here, Najib said: “We expected this to happen and we had already told them that holding an open forum on this issue would invoke this sort of reaction from some groups, but they were stubborn.”
“We live in a multiracial country and we have been able to live peacefully so far because we have been tolerant, respectful of the sensitivities of all races and by adhering to the tenets of the Federal Constitution.
“If we dispute these basic ideals, it will definitely evoke reaction from other groups. So if we were to upset this, it will evoke disagreement which can affect our peace and harmony,” he said, after opening the Bumiputera Real Estate Convention and Exhibition 2008.
Meanwhile, Bar Council president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan said the forum would not have been a big hoo-ha had the title of the discussion been more “Muslim-friendly”.
She said the lawyers were trying to find a solution for family members affected by the conversion of one family member to Islam due to the conflicts relating to jurisdiction between the syariah and civil courts.
“Apart from legal issues, we must focus on humanitarian issues. It is important that we realise that R. Subashini, T. Saravanan and S. Shamala are real people. So, these are humanitarian issues we are dealing with,” she said at the opening of the forum on Saturday.
The forum, titled “Conversion to Islam: Article 121(1a) of the Federal Constitution: Subashini and Shamala Revisited,” attended by about 200 participants including the media, was originally scheduled to take place from 8.30am to 1pm.
Demonstrators gathered in front of the Bar Council secretariat building chanted Allahu Akbar, carrying placards and banners and shouted for it to stop. They were representatives of Muslim NGOs and political parties, including the Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia (PPIM), Peninsular Malay Students Federation (GPMS), Muslim Organisations in Defence of Islam (Pembela), Malaysian Islamic Propagation and Welfare Organisation (Pekida), Alumni of Umno Club Overseas Students, PAS Youth and Parti Keadilan Rakyat.
Due to the growing tension, the police advised the organisers to stop the forum, which had started at 8.40am, earlier than scheduled and Ambiga announced that the forum would wrap up at 10am.
However, 25 minutes later, a group of protestors led by GPMS vice-president Jais Abdul Karim and Pembela member Zulkifli Noordin, who is also PKR Kulim-Bandar Baru MP, accompanied by the police, marched into the auditorium on the 1st floor of the building where the forum was held.
At that time, former Suhakam commissioner Dr Mehrun Siraj was giving her views but was told off rudely by one of those in the group, who said he represented Umno, that she was conspiring with the un-Islamic goings-on in the forum.
When the group became vociferous, Ambiga declared the forum closed at 10am.
Earlier, the forum heard eyewitness accounts from two women whose lives were affected by the conversion of their fathers to Islam and a spontaneous sharing from a German woman who was a Muslim convert.
The first was a young Chinese woman whose father embraced Islam to marry an Iranian Muslim. The second was an older Indian woman, a devout Christian, whose father married a Malay Muslim and the family underwent conflict with religious authorities when her father died.
The German married a Malaysian Malay in England and was converted to Islam by his family when they moved here, only to be divorced and abandoned after 10 years. Her second marriage to a Malay ended in divorce after six years and after that she was a single mother raising three sons without any help from her ex-husbands.
The second session involved a panel discussion of the custody battle between Subashini and former husband Saravanan or Mohd Shafi Saravanan Abdullah; and Shamala and former husband Dr Jeyaganesh who converted one of their sons to Islam.
The panel consisted of lawyers Mohd Haniff Khatri Abdullah (counsel for Mohd Shafi), K. Shanmuga (for Subashini) and Ravi Nekoo (for Shamala).
Source: http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=24586
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The Star, Sunday August 10, 2008
Bar Council forced to stop forum early
By SHAILA KOSHY, ZULKIFLI
KUALA LUMPUR: The Bar Council went ahead with its controversial forum on Conversion To Islam yesterday, but was forced to stop it about an hour after it began following advice from the police and noisy intervention by protesters.
Former Suhakam commissioner and activist Mehrun Siraj was applauded by the 200 people at the forum when she said she was there because she believed that conflicts between Muslims and non-Muslims should be resolved through open discussion.
Before she could complete her second statement, five men representing Umno, PKR, PAS and Malay / Muslim non-governmental organisations trooped into the auditorium flanked by policemen at 9.53am, and shouted for the meeting to end immediately although council chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan had announced at 9.30am that it would end at 10am at the request of the police.
The protesters included Malaysian Islamic Propagation and Welfare Organisation supreme council member Mohd Syahrir Abdul Aziz, Federation of Malay Students Union vice-president Jais Abdul Karim, Kulim-Bandar Baru MP Zulkifli Nordin, and Alumni of Umno Club Overseas Students information director Mohamad Nazari Ahmad.
After some commotion, Ambiga announced at 10.04am: We have no issue with anyone who has a different point of view. We respect everybodys point of view. That is what the Bar Council is about; we have no quarrel with anyone. The forum is now closed.
The group of about 300 people from various NGOs and political parties had started gathering at about 8.20am outside the Bar Council building in Lebuh Pasar Besar here to protest the forum which they said would undermine Islam.
Holding banners and chanting, the group threatened many times to storm the building if the forum was not stopped.
About 50 policemen and Federal Reserve Unit personnel members lined themselves between the crowd and the building entrance.
At about 9.15am, Dang Wangi OCPD Asst Comm Zulkarnain Abdul Rahman told Bar Council representatives to stop the forum by 10am in the interest of safety.
Mohd Mokhtar Ghazali, who is president of the Umno-affiliated Insan Bakti Welfare Organisation, said the forum should have not been held in the first place.
He added that the protest by Malays from different political groups was to display their unhappiness on groups that allegedly wanted to question the privileges of Malays and Muslims.
Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/8/10/nation/22049458&sec=nation
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J/kuasa selesai pertikaian pasangan peluk Islam
Malaysiakini, Aug 10, 08 6:59pm
Pertikaian dan tuntutan yang timbul ekoran perceraian apabila salah seorang pasangan memeluk Islam boleh diselesaikan melalui rundingan dalam Jawatankuasa Bersama Peguam Syarie dan Sivil, kata Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Beliau berkata perbincangan melibatkan tuntutan harta sepencarian, tuntutan penjagaan anak dan perkara berkaitan akan dibuat secara tertutup dalam kamar antara pasangan terlibat dengan peguam masing-masing (peguam syarie dan sivil).
“Perkara ini tidak akan didedahkan kepada masyarakat umum kerana ini akan mengundang interpretasi yang pelbagai dan implikasi negatif,” katanya dalam sidang media di Kuala Lumpur.
Menurut laporan Bernama, Ahmad Zahid berkata cadangan rundingan seumpama itu adalah antara rumusan yang dibuat jawatankuasa terbabit bagi menyelesaikan masalah berbangkit yang melibatkan bidang kuasa Mahkamah Syariah dan Sivil.
Katanya rundingan sebegitu dipraktikkan oleh banyak negara yang mempunyai masyarakat majmuk dan kepelbagaian agama.
Selain itu, Ahmad Zahid berkata Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim),Jabatan Kehakiman Syariah Malaysia (JKSM) dan jabatan agama Islam lain memang bekerjasama dengan semua pihak termasuk majlis agama Islam negeri dan Mahkamah Syariah negeri untuk menangani masalah berkaitan.
Beliau menegaskan bahawa Majlis Peguam tidak perlu campur tangan dalam hal tersebut seperti yang cuba dilakukannya semalam dengan penganjuran forum memeluk Islam yang terpaksa ditamatkan lebih awal selepas mendapat bantahan meluas pelbagai pihak termasuk badan bukan kerarajaan (NGO) dan organisasi Islam lain.
Cadang dapatkan permit
“Memang apa pun sistem yang ada, ada kelemahan tetapi tidak mustahil untuk kita boleh memperbaikinya tetapi bukan dengan cara menyanggah daripada orang lain (merujuk kepada Majlis Peguam) yang tidak patut mencampuri hak dalam hal ehwal kita.
“Mereka boleh memberi pandangan tetapi biarlah dengan bijaksana bukan dengan bersikap kurang ajar seperti yang ditunjukkan (dalam forum itu),” katanya.
Ahmad Zahid berkata pada masa akan datang beliau berharap sebelum sesuatu forum atau seminar yang menyentuh hak orang Melayu dan agama Islam dibenarkan dan permit dikeluarkan, pihak polis hendaklah mendapatkan pandangan daripada Jabatan Perdana Menteri (JPM) terlebih dahulu.
Ahmad Zahid berkata kedegilan Majlis Peguam harus diambil tindakan oleh pihak berkuasa kerana dikhuatiri mereka akan membangkitkan isu yang lain selepas ini.
Beliau berkata ia menampakkan usaha seolah-olah mahu mempertikaikan apa yang telah diperundangkan organisasi Islam dan institusi Islam yang sedia ada.
“Kita berharap biar pun jika terdapat beberapa kelonggaran atau kelemahan dalam undang-undang atau organisasi yang melaksanakan perundangan ini ia harus dibincangkan dengan kami bukan dengan membangkitkan dalam satu forum terbuka dengan memanggil wartawan luar negara.
“Ini satu agenda tersembunyi yang mahu menghina Islam, saya fikir ini bukan satu jalan mencari penyelesaian tetapi memburukkan orang lain. Kebetulan penganjur membawa kes contoh dan saya tidak fikir tiada agenda tersembunyi,” katanya.
Ahmad Zahid berkata jika Majlis Peguam betul-betuk ikhlas, pihaknya bersedia untuk membuka pintu dan membincangkan perkara-perkara yang mereka cuba bangkitkan.
Source: http://www1.malaysiakini.com/news/87556
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500 bantah forum ‘memeluk Islam’ Muda Mohd Noor |
Malaysiakini, Aug 9, 08 9:16am
Seramai 500 orang sedang berkumpul di depan bangunan Majlis Peguam sejak awal pagi kerana membantah penganjuran forum awam memeluk Islam anjuran majlis tersebut.
Pada masa yang sama kelihatan kira-kira 80 anggota polis ditempat di situ bagi mengawal orang ramai. Manakala kenderaan polis turut diletakkan di hadapan bangunan tersebut.
Ketika berucap kepada orang ramai, Naib Presiden Gabungan Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung (GPMS) yang cenderung pada Umno, Jais Abdul Karim berkata, mereka membantah penganjuran forum tersebut kerana ia mencabar hak istimewa orang Melayu dan agama Islam.
Sepatutnya, kata beliau, forum itu diadakan secara tertutup.
Katanya, ia kerana terbukti program anjuran Majlis Peguam sebelum ini, gagal menghalang peserta daripada mempertikaikan hak orang istimewa orang Melayu dan agama Islam.
Mereka yang menyertai perhimpunan pagi ini adalah terdiri daripada wakil-wakil 29 badan NGO Islam.
Pakatan Rakyat
Mereka melaungkan “Hancur Bar Council”, “Hidup Islam” dan “Batalkan Forum”.
Mereka turut membawa sepanduk yang berbunyi “Jangan cabar Islam’, “Jangan cetuskan kemarahan umat Islam demi keharmonian umat Islam”, “Awas Persatuan Peguam, jangan bermain api” dan “Menjunjung keadilan, menyanggah kezaliman”.
Turut kelihatan ialah pemimpin parti-parti komponen Pakatan Rakyat.
Mereka ialah Ketua Dewan Pemuda PAS, Salahuddin Ayub. Manakala pemimpin PKR yang kelihatan di situ ialah dua ahli Majlis Pimpinan Tertinggi (MPT), Badrul Amin Baharum dan Latheefa Koya.
Ketika itu, forum tersebut sedang berlangsung di dalam bangunan dan telah dirasmikan oleh Presiden Majlis Peguam, Datuk S. Ambiga.
Antara ahli panel yang dijadual bercakap di forum tersebut ialah Pengarah Pusat Undang-undang Syariah dan Sains Politik, Institut Kefahamam Islam, Dr Wan Azhar Wan Ahmad dan peguam Syarie, Mohd Haniff Khatri Abdullah.
Tarik diri
Mohd Haniff mewakili Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan dalam kes R Subashini. Yang lainnya ialah peguam K Shanmuga dan Ravi Nekoo, yang masing-masing mewakili Subashini dan S Shamala.
Bagaimanapun, seorang ahli panel – bekas hakim Syariah dan kini menjadi pegawai pendakwaraya Jabatan Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan – telah menarik diri.
Salahuddin yang juga ahli Parlimen Kubang Kerian turut berucap di perhimpunan bantahan tersebut.
“Kita dicabar di bawah Seksyen 121 (A). Mereka tahu undang-undang, tetapi mahu mencabar agama Islam.
“Kalau mereka hendak tahu (tentang) Islam, mereka boleh jumpa pegawai Jakim,” katanya.
Manakala Badrul Amin berkata: “Jika orang tidak ganggu agama orang lain, kita akan akan hidup aman.
Polis berunding
“Kita tidak ganggu agama Kristian, agama Hindu dan Buddha dan kita meminta jangan menghasut rakyat dengan isu agama,” tambahnya.
Sehingga jam 9.30 pagi ini, jumlah orang ramai yang datang menyertai perhimpunan bantahan tersebut telah bertambah kepada 500 orang.
Kira-kira jam 9.31 pagi, wakil NGO terbabit sedang berunding dengan Ketua Polis Dang Wangi, ACP Dzulkarnian Abdul Rahman.
Sebelum itu, seorang peserta mengatakan, jika forum tersebut tidak dihentikan, mereka akan merempuh masuk untuk menghentikan.
Kira-kira jam 9.35 tadi, seorang peserta memberitahu melalui pembesar suara bahawa mereka memberi masa sehingga jam 9.45 pagi supaya forum tersebut dihentikan.
Jika tidak, katanya, mereka akan masuk meminta peserta forum itu menghentikannya pada jam 10 pagi.
Rundingan dengan ACP Dzulkarnian tadi disertai oleh tiga wakil NGO dan Salahuddin Ayub.
Menurut laporan, antara NGO yang hadir ialah Barisan Bertindak Perpaduan Melayu (BBPM), Jawatankuasa Penyelaras Perikatan NGO Islam (ACCIN), Persatuan Al-Hidayah, Belia Perkim, Pertubuhan Jamaah Islah Malaysia, Persatuan Cina Muslim Malaysia (MACMA), Persatuan Al-Hunafa dan Persatuan Darul Fitrah Malaysia.
Turut sama ialah Persatuan Kebajikan Dakwah dan Islamiah (Pekida), Persatuan Kebajikan dan Pengubatan Islam Malaysia, Persatuan Seruan Islam Wilayah Persekutuan dan Selangor, Persatuan Ulama Malaysia, Persatuan Pengusaha Restoran Muslim Malaysia, Yayasan Kerjaya Malaysia, Kelab Cinta Malaysia, Kongres India Muslim Malaysia (Kimma) dan Persatuan Penjaja Kecil Wilayah Persekutuan
Source: http://www1.malaysiakini.com/news/87517
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Sunday August 10, 2008 MYT 7:05:02 PM
Koh: Resolve religious conversion issues soon
KUALA LUMPUR: Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon has urged the joint committee of civil and syariah lawyers to meet soon to resolve religious conversion issues because if left unresolved they would continue to haunt Malaysia’s multi-religious society.
He said the Government should convene the joint committee as soon as possible to quickly discuss and recommend proper measures to be taken to formulate, clarify and rectify procedures related to marriage between Muslims and non-Muslims, conversion, custody of children and burial rites.
Koh said the joint committee was formed to work out solutions following several controversies that emerged related to Muslim converts after death or after the breakdown of marriages.
“It is urgent to reconvene this committee which, I am told, has not met for quite some time,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
He said if left unresolved controversy and conflicts over family matters related to religious conversion would persist.
He made the call while criticising Saturday’s rowdy demonstration by 300 people that almost turned violent as they protested against the Bar Council’s open forum on conversion to Islam.
Dr Koh also specifically condemned the use of kerosene bombs on the house formerly owned by Bar Council president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, which is now the house of Wanita Umno deputy chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.
“It is regrettable that some members of political parties such as PAS, PKR and Umno were involved in the almost violent demonstration,” said Dr Koh, who pointed out the involvement of and strong words uttered by PAS Youth chief Datuk Salahuddin Ayub and Kulim-Bandar Baru MP Zulkifli Noordin or PKR.
“We should be aware of sensitivities about religions by all respective believers. Therefore, all politicians must take a rational and reasonable approach to look at how to fine-tune the relevant laws and procedures to avoid or minimise potential inter-religious controversies and conflicts,” he added.
Source:http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/8/10/nation/20080810171312&sec=nation
