Jakim contradicts PM

On April 19, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the government would introduce a regulation requiring non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam to inform their family before doing so.

He said this would prevent problems of families disputing the conversion of their loved ones when they die.

He made this announcement after meeting with Islamic religious authorities, giving the impression he had spoken about this to them and had obtained approval.

His basis for such a regulation was to ensure people would not be going at each other over this matter, as it is happening now. In a nutshell, Abdullah wanted a harmonious relationship between all.

However a report in the Star today gives a different picture altogether.

Surprise! Surprise! Now senior Jakim leaders are saying converts need not inform family, and openly rejected Abdullah’s proposal.

This rejection was mentioned by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) director-general Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz himself, saying that it was the joint view of state legal advisors, muftis, syarie judges and Islamic department directors.

And their basis for this - nothing to do with human relations but instead it was based on the Quran!

It seems the holy book does not provide anything that “compel a person wishing to convert to Islam to inform the family before doing so”. Instead they want the need to inform loved ones should be left to the discretion of the person wishing to convert.

So in one hand we have a premier who is thinking about maintaining a racial harmony and thinking like a leader for all Malaysians and on the other a group of religious old-schools who simply refuse to move away from the interpretations of their holy book.

Malaysia for Malaysians? Fat chance if this continues.