I am taking a break from posting my story today as i want the world to know what the elected representatives of Malaysian govt are up to.
Most outsiders are not aware that, non muslims in Malaysia has been suffering when it comes to religious worship. Though the Malaysian govt actively builds mosques and surau’s, they will not grant permission to build churches, temples for hindus and budhists believers.
It took 28 years for the Catholic church to build a church in their own land in Shah Alam, capital of Selangor state.
Religious persecution can be better understood if you read the following article
http://www.missioncouncil.se/faltstudier/uppsatser/2002/UU02F029.pdf
When you live in a land with 60% muslim population, then your voice gets drowned in the islamic manifesto.
We have lived with this, because most of us have learned that we are second class citizens and there is the ever looming threat of ISA ( internal security act) that can detain us for 2 years without a trial.
Now things have gone too far.
Yeasterday Kuala Lumpur city hall has demolished a temple that is 100 years old.
http://www.keralaonline.com/news/newsdisplay.php?newsid=1040.
They are also planning to demolish another 100 year old temple in the coming days.
If you look at the link, you can see, it is a Kerala Link, because our local papers are owned and controlled by the govt leaders and their cronies.
This destruction in the name of religion will go on, unless there is an international outcry. Taliban destroyed Bamiyan Budhist sculpture.. We are heading the same way. Unless the world let Malaysian govt know that they are being watched.
Please dear readers.. Support Malaysian citizens for their quest to achieve their freedom enshrined in the constitution to worship their god.
Article 3 of the Malaysian Constitution clearly states
“Islam is the religion of the federation, but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony in any part of the federation”
Does destroying a century old temple on some trumped up charge suggests that we are able to practise our religion in peace and harmony?
Please tell the Malaysian Govt to stop demolishing temples and other places of religious worship.
We need your help
The prime minister’s office can be reached
http://www.pmo.gov.my
and his email is (Mr.Abduallah Ahammed Badawi, Prime minister of Malaysia)
ppm@pmo.gov.my
Thank you
Thats really bad. Why should the govt do like that?.. does the whole means that, the muslims to not believe in themselves?..
unfortunately us the non muslims are in a catch 22, we either hv to vote for the UMNO,the current govt or PAS, who are fundamental islamic group. The ruling govt knows our position and can get away with anything, including trying to change the constitution..Becaue now islam rules…
sad…one….believe and let believe…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Sigh… These people need a hobby. Why can’t they just collect stamps or learn to play an instrument?
It seems to me that religious fanatics are turning the world into their playground. But I suppose it has always been like that, only a millennium or two ago, destroying the temples of other religions would have been less of an anachronism.
Another wake-up call for someone who grew up believing that everybody agreed that people matter more than gods…
so ridiculous! so malaysia is no different!
sheh…my blood is boiling…arent there more important things for govts to do???
Thank you all
I am not a hindu, but I see tht if i don’t do anything abt the religious oppression in malaysia, soon it will be too late..this poem guides me to stand up for what I believe..
First They Came for the Jews
First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.
Pastor Martin Niemöller
Are you Nina Maria Thomas from Assunta, u left year 1989 perhaps?
Vanitha, ex assuntarian
This is outrageous. The malaysian government is promoting the country as ‘Truly Asia’, but on the other hand, they are destroying the very symbols of other religions. I don’t think so a temple or a church is any threat to a country unless except ofcourse it looks like an eye-sore to the eyes of so-called muslim fanatics. You really opened my eyes about the other side of your country.
First time in your blog. Great to read it.
That was great writing for justice.
Why do you forget Saudi Arabia, where during the Islamic prayer time, though Christian, I was taken to the religious police station for 3 hours for not going to a mosque, when a senior officer came and said sorry, though my enforcers saw my ID colour, which clearly says I am a non Muslim ?
You have a nice Kathakali profile there ? 🙂
diary of a saudi blogger
http://muttawa.blogspot.com/
read what happens in saudi
this is just history repeating itself and will keep repeating…
the problem with religion like Islam is that one of the basic tenets of their religious doctrine is that there is no God except Allah! so Islam inherently doesn’t recognize any other religion and wherever Muslims are in majority, there are always deliberate moves even from the government to persecute other religions and spread islam by any means….
I am not outrightly against Islam or something but this is a sad phenomenon and it’s true. Iran which was once the nation of Zoroastrians is today as we all now an Islamic republic and a Parsee friend of mine told me that in some hotels in Iran, they have big boards kept outside which says “No dogs and Parsees allowed.”
Today India has the largest population of Zoroastrians among all countries….
So Malaysia is also following suit and I am afraid this will be difficult to stop.No country where Muslims are in majority follows secualrism in spirit… This is what I think of the situation and I will be only happy to know that the reality is otherwise!
Hello All
There is a fundamental difference in wht is happening in Malaysia and other islamic nations.
Although the previous prime minister declared the country to be islamic on 29th sep 2001..it isn’t and it can’t be. 40% of Malaysian citizens are not muslims. what the Malaysian government is trying to do is wipe out our rights. when every country in the world has progams helping minorities, Malaysian govt is bullying us in to following their way..the islamic way.. destroy temples first, don’t grant permission to build another temple..etc..The world outside has no idea what is actually happening in Malaysia..it is truly asia..but not truly free and liberal..We used to be a model islamic nation..now we are talibanizing it..
Peter:nice to see you…
kevin:thank you for visiting my blog
Jac:i love kathakali!!!
Arjun, Jiby and Jithu:thank you guys..
problem, problem. After reading your blog I was ready to write a letter and complain but then I remembered the argument that I had with my girlfriend back in December concerning the death penalty in Singapore, as well as how the Americans somehow always push other countries to do what is right in American eyes but dont think about what is right for the country itself. I asserted that the death penalty was bad and should be stopped and she was quite firm and verbal in the fact that ‘no country has the right to interfer with the goings on of another country internal workings’.
I showed her your blog and asked her “if I am not allowed to complain about Singapore’s use of the death penalty, can I complain about this?” and she ‘took the fifth’ and refused to comment.
can you see a way around this problem that I see? Can we pick and choose what we want to stop and change in another country, or do we let those people that are effected by it in the country to do what is right and let them fight their own fights?
‘no country has the right to interfer with the goings on of another country internal workings’ Your gf is right.. that is why China still occupies Tibet.
It should be ok tht genocide happend in Rwanda, and is happening in Sudan. It is their internal problem right?
The fundamental question is what is right and fair?
Singapore has death penalty mainly for drug trafficking. It is ok to drink drive and knock someone out. you get prison sentence and lose your driver’s license.But it isn’t ok to traffic drugs.
Fundamental question is “who gave the authority to anyone to take another human being’s life?? America too has death penalty. Why one person can spend a life time in prison and another gets a death sentence?
You will know the answer, when you feel in your heart what is right and what is wrong and can stand up for that belief..
Voltaire said “every man is guilty of all the good he didn’t do”..
What about you?
Thanks for this blogs. I won’t have known how corrupted and disrespectful Malaysian government has become, especially since Badawi was elected as the latest Malaysian Prime Minister. The facts fume me as I have always prefer to believe that perhaps there is hope after all the unfairness the non-malays (non-muslim) have to go through in the past decades.
What goes around comes around. If the government does not clean up their acts soon, the world will slowly but surely reveal their dirty act. Their recent Truly Asia promotion has already been heavily rejected by the Western world, and they know that they are being watched.
Shame on Badawi and all the self centre ministers who are planning the destruction of the last civilise Muslim country on earth. There is one thing a good Muslim should adapt before demanding respect from others – Learn to live in harmony with others and respect others’ religions. There is a reason why Muslim is the world most hated religion in the world! Shame on them!