The proposed bill will be presented within the course of this week from 12th-14th October 2021
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Malaysian Parliament to have bill
restricting non-Muslims from sharing their faith convictions |
The Malaysian governments will this week start processing a bill that will restrict non-Muslims from preaching in the Islam-dominated country of Southeast Asia.
Islamic Affairs Minister (who is automatically in charge of religious affairs) Idris Ahmad confirmed that “the bill will restrict the propagation of non-Islamic religions” among the Muslims.
This means, in this Sunni Muslim majority country, a protestant, for example, cannot preach to one of Islam faith, the state religion.
The proposed bills will be presented in the course of this week from- 14, according to the Free Malaysia Today news report.
Parliamentarian Fong Kui Lun expressed fears that the bill will infringe on religious freedoms and pave way for the “Talibanisation of Malaysia”, one of the Multi-cultural nations of Southeast Asia.
Religious freedom watchdogs' reports
According to the 2021 US International Religious Commission report, “the Malaysian government requires Muslims to adhere to a state-approved interpretation of Islam, leaving them little freedom to practice according to their conscience”, says the report that puts Malaysia in the list of a dozen nations “recommended for special watch list”.
The Open Door 2021 report ranked Malaysia among the 38 countries of “very high persecution”
“In Malaysia, the government and religious groups monitor churches, and it is illegal to share the gospel with Malay Muslims. Converts from Islam to Christianity experience the most persecution, as every ethnic Malay is expected to be Muslim” the report said.
Enforced
disappearance of Christians
Pastor Raymond
Koh was part of the Evangelical Free Church and founder of Hope
Community, a charity helping the poor in capital Kuala Lumpur, abducted in
broad daylight by security operatives in February 2017, according to reports.
The Human Rights
Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) concluded that Raymond Koh was a victim of
enforced disappearance by the state, namely the Special Branch of the Malaysian
Police Department.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin told the press in late September 2021 that the police had no fresh leads into the investigations on the disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh and many other victims of enforced disappearance.
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