Have Sabahan Christians Lost All Their God-Given Freedom In Every Sense Of The Word?
First they were not allowed to use the word "Allah", now Sabah Christians in rural villages claim that they have been converted to Islam without their knowledge. The Sabah Christian now feels as if they have lost all their freedom when it comes to religion.
By Mei Mei Chu — 23 Jan 2014, 04:08 PM — Updated almost 11 years ago
[PHOTOS] Muslim Missionary Converts 300 More Sabah Natives To Islam
A month after 64 natives in Sabah's remote Pitas district were allegedly tricked into converting from Christianity to Islam, another round of conversions has apparently taken place, according to a Muslim missionary website.
yahoo.comThe website showed pictures and videos of the missionaries, believed to be from the Pertubuhan Kebajikan Islam Malaysia (Perkim), carrying out the conversion ceremony. The group said that it was now about to build a mosque for the villagers.
"Alhamdulillah, kini sudah 302 orang memeluk Islam sepanjang misi Syahadah ini. Hari ini sahaja 11 orang mengucap dua kalimah syahadah di Pensiangan (Praise God, now 302 peple have embraced Islam in this mission. Today, 11 people made the declaration to enter Islam in Pensiangan)," the website said.
themalaysianinsider.com
However, there were no reports or complaints of coercion or money involved in the conversions, unlike the ones carried out previously. According to the website, the group is believed to have begun its mission in Pensiangan in mid-January.
themalaysianinsider.com
4 Feb: Sabahan Christians Meet To Find Ways To Reverse The Forced Conversion Of 64 Natives To Islam
Amid rising religious tension in Malaysia, Christian interest groups in Sabah are meeting today to find ways to reverse the conversion of 64 natives who claimed they were tricked into converting to Islam last month.
themalaysianinsider.com
The Malaysian Insider learnt that a lunch meeting in Kota Kinabalu on the matter will be chaired by United Pasokmomogun Kadazan Dusun Murut Organisation (Upko) president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok.
yahoo.com“Christians from both sides of the political divide, non-governmental organisations and a group of lawyers are banding together to help fellow Christians in trouble,” the source said.
The 64, including children as young as five, are from three remote villages, Kampung Layung Maliau, Dowokon and Sosop.
themalaysianinsider.com
Villagers from Kampung Layung Maliau allege they were converted to Islam in Pitas and paid RM100.
Image via themalaysianinsider.comActivist Wants The Forced Conversion Of Sabahan Christians To Be Declared Invalid
Activist Wants The Forced Conversion Of Sabahan Christians To Be Declared Invalid
Image via freemalaysiatoday.comThe controversial “conversion” to Islam of 74 ‘dirt-poor’ natives in Pitas on the heel of the ongoing Allah, Herald and Bible controversies has further tainted the image of Islam and its many public-funded departments and bodies, claims local lawyer and activist Daniel John Jambun.
He said the fact that these ignorant Pitas villagers were enticed with money and duped into converting seems to have escaped Sabah Islamic Affairs Department director Amri A Suratman.
Amri had reportedly declared that the contentious conversion of the 100 poverty stricken Christians in Pitas on Jan 1 was valid under the Islamic law.
In a statement here Jambun said Amri’s statement was a clear violation of human rights, the Federal Constitution, the Malaysia Agreement and its annexes including the 18/20 Points and Batu Sumpah in Keningau, all constitutional documents on Sabah and Sarawak’s “Federation” with Malaya since 1963.
“How can the so-called conversion be valid when the victims had no intention to leave Christianity and embrace Islam?
“Also, if the victims had any intention to leave Christianity and embrace Islam, they would not be kicking up a fuss over the fraudulent conversion or continuing to attend church,” Jambun addded.
“It is obvious that JHEAINS has outsourced its dirty work to rogue elements masquerading as Muslim NGOs.
“JHEAINS must declare the conversion of the victims in Pitas as invalid or face the prospect of being taken to court and washing their dirty linen in public,” Jambun warned.
Pastors Consider Awareness Campaigns To Prevent Sabahan Christians From Being Tricked Into Converting To Islam
Pastors Consider Awareness Campaigns To Prevent Sabahan Christians From Being Tricked Into Converting To Islam
Image via freemalaysiatoday.comThe conversion of rural Christians to Islam in Sabah is more widespread than initially reported, according to a meeting of pastors in Kota Kinabalu.
The emergency meeting was called on Wednesday after The Malaysian Insider reported that Christians in the remote district of Pitas had been tricked into converting after being offered a mere RM100.
themalaysianinsider.com
Mojuin had earlier said the church was concerned over “unofficial” reports of what was happening in the parishes of Kudat, Kota Marudu, Kanibongan, Paitan and Pitas. There were also unconfirmed reports of forced, coerced or induced conversion elsewhere in northern and eastern Sabah.
Christians in the state, including political parties from both sides of the political divide, have since rallied to assist these “converted” natives.
Mojuin said the meeting agreed that the church should conduct an awareness campaign among its baptised members by conducting seminars or workshops.
“We are still drawing up the agenda of the seminars. We will have another meeting to finalise it and set a date when we would conduct them,” he added.
themalaysianinsider.com
20 Jan: A Christian Group Is Embarking On A State-Wide Religious Revival Campaign Following Reports Of Dubious Attempts To Convert Local Christians Into Muslims
A Christian group, representing various denominations in Sabah, is embarking on a major religious revival campaign following dubious attempts to convert some of their flock to Islam.
themalaysianinsider.com
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, one of the group's coordinators told The Malaysian Insider that political parties from both sides, churches and non-Muslim NGOs have banded together to thwart conversion efforts by Muslim groups.
“We Want The PM To Say Something. He Is Not A PM For The Malays Only But A PM For Everyone.”
“We Want The PM To Say Something. He Is Not A PM For The Malays Only But A PM For Everyone.”
Image via abnxcess.comPerpaduan Anak Negeri Sabah (PAN) will go on a six-month campaign to gather indigenous Christians to unite and urge Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to speak up on the “Allah” issue for Christian Bumiputeras.
yahoo.com“We want the PM to say something. He is not a PM for the Malays only but a PM for everyone,” PAN chairperson Esther Golingi told The Malaysian Insider.
yahoo.comPAN is reviving the spirit of an old Kadazan Dusun Murut war cry “mamangkis” which was a used by their ancestors to rally warrior troops for battle.
However, Golingi said the calls now are being “contextualised as a Christian clarion call for revival.”
themalaysianinsider.com
There Have Been Reports Of About 64 People From Remote Villages In Sabah Being Tricked Into Converting To Islam
PAN’s mobilisation effort comes amid reports of a group of about 64 people, including children, from three villages in the remote Pitas district – Kampung Layung Maliau, Dowokon and Sosop – being tricked into converting to Islam.
malaysia-today.net
"Half a dozen or so Islamic NGOs are behind this forced or induced conversion. They are intent on converting as many Christians to Islam as possible," the coordinator told The Malaysian Insider.
"These groups are hoping to convert these rural Christians, a large majority of whom are illiterate, to Muslims."
"Some People From Kuala Lumpur" Promised The Villagers "Financial Assistance" Of RM800, But They Had To Collect It From A Nearby Mosque
Their trouble had apparently started on New Year's Eve.
A fellow villager, on returning from Pitas town, called everyone to his house to announce the “good news” that “some people from Kuala Lumpur” are giving them financial assistance.
themalaysianinsider.com
On New Year’s Day, they did. Instead of receiving the financial assistance at the Pitas town hall, they claimed they were made to go to a nearby mosque instead.
malaysia-today.net
“When we reached the hall, we were told to go to the 'masjid' (mosque) instead,” Maison said.
themalaysianinsider.com
Getting RM800 was like winning the lottery for the villagers who depended on subsistence farming to survive. The village is still without electricity and running water.
themalaysianinsider.com
They Were Asked To Put Their Thumbprint On A Document And Were Told To Recite Some "Foreign Words"
Maison Bilu said the villagers were told they were receiving financial aid.
Image via themalaysianinsider.com“At the mosque, we were all treated to refreshments and then they asked for our MyKad. We were then asked to sign a form. I don't know what the form was as I could not read or write. No one explained to us what the form was.
“All of us were illiterates. I never went to school and neither did my wife,” he said of his wife Nafsiah Momin.
“So I put my finger print on the form.”
“A man then asked us to recite some words after him. I didn't understand a word he said as the words were all foreign to me.
“At the end of it, the man told us that we have converted to Islam and we are now all Muslims.
“I was shocked. I quickly dragged my wife and children out of the mosque to ask ourselves what was going on,” Maison said.
themalaysianinsider.com
The People From Dirt Poor Villagers Did Not Understand The Documents As They Were Illiterate. Church Leaders Later Found Out That They Had Been Converted.
What baffled Maison was that the person who helped him put his finger print on the form did not take the form from him.
“He gave me a large envelope and inside the envelope were several smaller, coloured envelopes.
“I did not immediately open them to check what was inside as we were then told to stand in a line across the room.
themalaysianinsider.com
The form that Maison still had with him was later passed to a church elder who informed him that it was a consent form and he had consented to be converted to Islam.
themalaysianinsider.com
In The End, They Were Given Only RM100 Instead Of The Promised RM800
He said when he later opened the smaller envelopes, he found RM100 in the yellow envelopes and RM50 in the green envelopes.
themalaysianinsider.com
Villagers, "We Have No Income Of Any Kind. That RM800 Is A Lot More Than BR1M. Everybody Was Understandably Excited."
“We have no income of any kind. That RM800 is a lot more than BR1M (Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia). Everybody was understandably excited,” Maison said.
“To get it was also easy. We just have to give our name and MyKad number to that neighbour of ours. No questions asked.
themalaysianinsider.com
“Nobody asked who were these people giving us the financial assistance. We were only told 'people from Kuala Lumpur'. We didn't even ask the reason they are giving us this money,” Maison said.
“Everyone just wanted the money. That's all.”
themalaysianinsider.com
To 41 year-old Jusman Masid, the whole episode made him feel sad and cheated. “Yes, RM800 is a very large sum of money to me. I felt very happy to think that I was going to get such financial assistance.
“But only to find out later that I had been deceived for RM100 and covertly converted, I really felt cheated."
themalaysianinsider.com
Lenney Masangal said the villagers are still Christians despite the alleged conversion.
Image via themalaysianinsider.comVillagers Have Lodged Police Reports Alleging They Were Converted Without Their Knowledge. Sabah State Islamic Affairs Department (JHEIANS) Will Investigate These Claims.
The Daily Express reported a group of 27 people from a remote village in the north Borneo state had filed a police complaint last Wednesday, claiming to have been converted from Christianity to Islam on New Year’s Day by a Muslim welfare group without being fully aware of the conversion rites, after being promised aid.
themalaymailonline.com
The case of villagers allegedly converted to Islam unwittingly will now be investigated by the Sabah State Islamic Affairs Department (JHEIANS), after state police handed over their report for further action.
themalaymailonline.com
Villagers in Kampung Layung Maliau, Pitas, want police to investigate their claim that they were tricked into converting to Islam.
Image via themalaysianinsider.comPerpaduan Anak Negeri Sabah (PAN), "We Hold Nothing Against Islam If It Was Embraced With Free Choice."
Upset over broken promises by Putrajaya to Sabah when Malaysia was first formed, PAN said that it is worried that the religious freedom guaranteed in the Federal Constitution was no longer being upheld.
“We hold nothing against Islam if it was embraced with free choice. But we condemn such conversions as they were done through deceit, intimidation or bribery,” she said.
malaysia-today.net
The Protestant Church of Sabah church in Kampung Layung Maliau has been packed since the alleged conversion incident.
Image via themalaysianinsider.com"Today, We Have Lost Our God-Given Freedom In Every Sense Of Word."
“Today, we have lost our God-given freedom in every sense of the word. We are not even allowed to refer to God as ‘Allah’ in our liturgical language. Worse, we are not even allowed to teach our children and their children about God, whom they know as ‘Allah’, the almighty creator of the universe and all that is in it.”
themalaysianinsider.com
Golingi said that religion was now used as a political tool and that Malaysia should go back to basics.
“We need to uphold the Constitution of our land and it says we have our freedom of religion. Freedom of religion means freedom of religion.”
yahoo.comAccording To Lawyer Francis Pereira, It Is Not An Offence In Malaysia To Convert A Person Of A Different Faith To Islam
Lawyer Francis Pereira told The Malay Mail Online it is not an offence in Malaysia for a Muslim to convert a person of a different faith to Islam.
But he added that the authorities can investigate the case for criminal elements if the claims of bribery, as the villagers alleged, were to be proven.
themalaymailonline.com
“Those are Penal Code offences, (and) also the Corruption Act,” Pereira said last night when contacted, referring to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009.
“Those are criminal in nature,” he added, pointing to the allegations raised by the villagers.
themalaymailonline.com