Do People Have The Freedom To Practise Their Religion?

There have been many cases where people are unable to convert to a religion of their choice, or forcefully made to convert into a particular religion, the latest concerning the case of Revathi Masoosai, a Muslim-born woman who converted to Hinduism after marrying a Hindu man, but got her official application to change her religion from Islam to Hinduism rejected by the Islamic Authorities of Malaysia.

Malaysia's law states that Muslims cannot marry non-Muslims but there is no issue over the conversion of religion. However, contradicting Syriah Court laws rule that Muslims cannot convert to another religion and anyone who apply to renounce Islam can be found guilty of apostasy, which is punishable by jail and a fine.

This is outright absurd for a country which boasts freedom to practise religion as well as religious pluralism, and cases like Mrs Revathi's are making worse the already strained race and religious relations in Malaysia, as well as getting the attention of international human right groups.

This is not the first time such a case has happened. In May, the country's Federal court rejected the appeal from Ms Lina Joy, a Malay woman who wanted to convert to Christianity, to have her religion changed to Christianity, reason being that she has to follow the existing laws and practices of her religion, which forbids conversion.

I am extremely disappointed that such cases have been happening in a democratic country like Malaysia, and I am puzzled by the fact that nothing has been done by the government so far to rectify the problem. It also comes to me as a shock that Islamic Authorities of Malaysia has been using unethical practices such as breaking up Muslim-converts' families, detaining these converts and make them perform actions forbidden by their converted religions.

According to Mrs Revathi's account, she was not allowed to return to her husband and had her child forcefully placed in the care of her Muslim parents. She was also made to undergo rehabilitation, which in actual fact was more like a prison than a "rehabilitation school". There, she was forced to attend Islamic religious classes, pray as a Muslim, wear a headskarf and eat beef, forbidden by Hindus.

As a religious organisation, where is the morality? Treating converts with contempt and make them do things against their will are already gross violations of human rights. What's more, this is an organisation of authority and is backed by the Malaysian government. This issue not only tarnished the Malaysian government's image and reputation, but is also a big step backwards for the country's democracy. Unless something is done soon to clear up the grey areas between state and religious laws, as well as to keep the Islamic Authorities' actions in check, I fear that one day Muslims who wish to convert have to live in obscurity to avoid the authorities, or in a far-fetched but possible scenario, non-Muslims might even be forced to convert to the state religion, which would signify the end of democracy for Malaysia.