Controversial Preacher Criticised For Encouraging Minors To Convert To Islam Secretly
Firdaus Wong said that minors interested in Islam should not announce their conversion or take any photos or videos during the conversion ceremony.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 10 Jun 2024, 06:18 PM
Controversial religious preacher Firdaus Wong has faced criticism for encouraging minors interested in converting to Islam to do it secretly and without their parents' consent
Firdaus' controversial statement was made during a question-and-answer session at an event, where he responded to a man believed to be a preacher, who was seeking advice on converting minors interested in Islam.
His response to the man was uploaded to TikTok last week, which has since garnered over 74,000 views.
"Form 4 and Form 5 students DM me to say they want to convert to Islam. How can I help them?" read the caption of the video.
Firdaus said teenagers should be welcomed to Islam, but their conversion must not be registered or announced.
It should be noted that the conversion of individuals under the age of 18 to Islam without their parents' consent goes against the Federal Constitution.
Firdaus admitted that such a conversion would be nullified if taken to court.
To overcome this issue, Firdaus suggested preachers teach minors about Islam and guide them on how to pray secretly outside their homes without their family's knowledge.
"If the minor has their own room, they can pray alone in their room after locking the door. If they live with a sibling, you should advise them to pray before going home.
"The most important thing is that they are practising [Islam]," he said.
Various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and politicians have spoken out in response to Firdaus' statement
M Suthan, the national information chief of the Malaysian Indian People's Party, a component party in Perikatan Nasional (PN), urged the Education Ministry to ban Firdaus from setting foot in public schools, claiming that he poses a danger to non-Muslim students, reported Malaysiakini.
Suthan said Firdaus' suggestion to convert minors discreetly is unlawful and insensitive towards the feelings of non-Muslim parents.
"Who says children between the ages of seven and 17 are allowed to convert [to another religion] without their parents' permission?
"[This is] a dangerous and misleading 3R (race, religion, and royalty) statement by Firdaus.
"What’s next? Can we also marry these underage kids off without their parents' approval too? Where do we draw the line?" the PN leader asked in a TikTok video.
Watch Suthan's response to the issue in the video below:
Meanwhile, Global Human Rights Federation (GHRF) president S Shashi Kumar said his NGO has witnessed many such unlawful conversions in Malaysia. He urged the Education Ministry, Islamic Development Department (JAKIM), and other Islamic bodies to investigate the matter.
"The advice or suggestion proposed by the preacher raises not only ethical concerns regarding the conversion of minors discreetly without parental consent, but also whether such advice or suggestion would be against the laws of Malaysia and also the Federal Constitution," Malaysiakini quoted Shashi as saying.
