Having freedom of religion also means freedom to choose ones faith or to leave a religion, even if that person was a Muslim.
Such is the view of the panelists in a Bar Council-organised forum on Saturday, which discussed about legal issues surrounding Islam and the secular nature of the Federal Constitution.
“The concept of ‘no coercion in faith’ rings hollow if a Muslim is only able to convert into Islam but is not able to leave the faith,” said Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF)founder Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa.
Ahmad Farouk reasserted that the Quranic verse meant that anyone can freely choose what he or she believes in.
“Faith is of the same fabric as love. As long as you can’t enforce love, you can’t enforce faith. If you prevent someone for leaving a religion… means you are trying to create a community of hypocrites. It defeats the purpose, what is the point of it?”
Ahmad Farouk said that Muslims should not be proud to have the ‘number’ of believers, as opposed having true Muslims of quality.
The same verse was made controversial late last year when it was reported that PKR leader Nurul Izzah Anwar suggested that Islam permitted Muslims to denounce their religion in the name of freedom of religion.
However, Nurul later said that her statements were twisted by Malay dailies and threatened to sue.
“We had Nurul Izzah making such as statement, and I am trying to reassert the same thing. It
should be both ways,” he said.
“There shall be no coercion in matters of faith. Whatever you do, ultimate purpose is faith in the religion, not because of this bumiputera status. Your conversion I don’t think it is real conversion if it is forced.”
“Faith is something that is not between you and state, or society. It is between you and God.
“The issue of people who have converted to decide to leave Islam and they were prevented. The law says you can convert to be a Muslim but you cannot convert out. To me, as an Islamic activist and as a person who hold fast to this principle of freedom of religion, that should not be the case.”
Ahmad Farouk further said that freedom to believe in God also meant “freedom in sin”, referring to moral policing happening in Malaysia.
“For Muslims to be true Muslims, they must live in a secular, a state that does not enforce how Islam is being practiced on its citizens.”
“If someone refrains from taking alchohol, for example, it is a moral choice. Means that reasons he refuses to drink is not because he is afraid of JAKIM or what, but because there is God,” he said.
Meanwhile, Syarie lawyer Nizam Bashir argued that enforcing religion was doing injustice to Islam.
“It makes no sense to force someone to do something. It is fundamental in Islam. If you are preventive someone from leaving the religion, that’s injustice to Islam, and doing injustice to God. Freedom is God given,” he said.
Nizam said that a person converts into Islam for many reasons, including marriage, and said that it was “unfortunate” that the current legislation that prohibits from being with each other on whatever faith.
“It is next to impossible for a Christian to marry a Muslim,” said Nizam.
Nizam also agreed with a participant who said that there is no laws on murtad(apostasy) and said that the problem with making apostasy a crime was that the state has to recognize that the person was no longer Muslim.
“If you assume that apostacy that it is a crime in Islam. How do you go to court to ask to commit a crime? Usually the charge is on ‘insult to Islam”.
Lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar concurred, and explained the Catch-22 situation: “Once they charge you for apostacy, they recognize that you are no longer Islam, so they no longer have jurisdiction [in the Syariah court].”
Among the reasons people convert, said Malik, included people were uncomfortable with ‘state-defined Islam’, those who were practicing other religions but was registered as Muslims in one way or another, or those who embraced Islam for the purpose of marriage.
“Those who leave the religion for another religion altogether are very very few,” he said.
Teoh El Sen
Mon Jul 08 2013
Data & Statistik: prestasi Bursa Malaysia setakat 29 Mac 2024
Di bursa tempatan, Presiden Penyelidikan Ekuiti Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd, Thong Pak Leng, menasihatkan pelabur untuk kekal berwaspada dengan peluang belian semasa harga rendah.
Sandro Tonali terus terpalit dengan isu pertaruhan
Tonali didakwa telah melanggar peraturan FA E8 sebanyak 50 kali dengan membuat pertaruhan pada perlawanan antara 12 Ogos dan 12 Okt 2023.
AWANI Ringkas: Perginya Tokoh Wartawan Negara 2014
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Analisis FBM KLCI: Prestasi dan Jangkaan untuk Suku Kedua 2024
Imran Yassin Md Yusof, Ketua di MIDF Research, memberikan analisis mendalam mengenai prestasi pasaran saham untuk suku pertama tahun 2024 dan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhinya. Beliau menghuraikan sektor-sektor yang menunjukkan prestasi cemerlang serta sektor-sektor yang mengalami penurunan pada suku pertama ini. Imran juga memberikan jangkaan dan ramalan MIDF Research mengenai prestasi pasaran saham dan ekonomi untuk suku kedua dan seterusnya.
Data & Statistik: Prestasi ringgit setakat 29 Mac 2024
Ketua Ahli Ekonomi Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid berkata penggiat pasaran dilihat mengelak daripada ketidaktentuan menjelang pengumuman data PCE, dengan mata wang tempatan dan mata wang serantau lain pada umumnya lemah berbanding dolar AS.
Kandungan mudarat di media sosial meningkat ketara - SKMM
Kandungan memudaratkan itu termasuklah ucapan berbaur kebencian, scam, penjualan haram, perjudian dan berita palsu.
Data & statistik: Indeks harga pengeluar Malaysia meningkat 0.3% daripada -0.6%
Perangkawan Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Dr. Mohd Uzir Mahidin menjelaskan, pada asas bulanan, IHPR Pengeluaran Tempatan meningkat 0.7 peratus selepas penurunan 0.1 peratus pada bulan lepas.
Cukai ditangguh, MOF belum bentang RUU
Di sebalik keinginan masyarakat perniagaan untuk mendapatkan butiran mengenai Cukai Barang Bernilai Tinggi (HVGT), Kementerian Kewangan (MOF) tidak memperkenalkan rang undang-undang HVGT dalam sidang Parlimen semasa seperti yang dirancang pada asalnya.
Kisah Ramadan Tengku Zafrul: ‘Ride’ tengah malam dan moreh di Kampung Baru
Kesibukan sebagai menteri tidak halang Menteri Pelaburan, Perdagangan dan Industri itu luang masa dengan rakan-rakannya.
AWANI Pagi: Mengurus tenaga pada bulan Ramadan
Cuaca panas ketika Ramadan adakalanya menyebabkan penggunaan tenaga pada tahap tinggi. Ketahui tips-tips menguruskan tenaga pada bulan Ramadan, bersama Kamal Arifin A. Rahman, Ketua Pegawai Retail Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB).
#AWANIPagi #AWANInews
#AWANIPagi #AWANInews