I was in the new Kuala Lumpur Court complex at Jalan Duta yesterday morning.
Impressive building. Huge Roman Columns-like pillars look down on you.
I made my way to the washroom and wept.
I could not help but think back to some 17 years ago when the Magistrates and Sessions Courts were then located at Jalan Duta but were housed in old wooden PWD buildings that were waiting to fall apart. Rickety, yes, but by far and large, justice was served.
I wept because at 12.30pm yesterday, I was to meet a man whose wife and child had been taken away from him by those who will have us believe they act in the defence of Islam. For him, it was a meeting of hope.
I wept because I would have to tell him not to wait on justice. She had long lost her way and was not to be found at the Palace of Putrajaya or the Roman Columns of Duta.
The People's Parliament 
yh
April 21, 2007
its just sad. in the name of god, they have done the unthinkable. what are our MPs doing?
The Eagle
April 22, 2007
If he has hope, so must you. Otherwise you would not be doing this.
Farida
April 22, 2007
What that poor man must be going through! One could go mad in his place!
Bereft of family, all alone, with no one to turn to.
What was in the hearts and minds of those who tore apart this man’s family? How did they feel amidst the cries and tears and attempts to hold on together, only to be wrenched apart?
How did God above view this act? Did God clap his hands to see his ‘laws’ carried out so faithfully, never mind the tragedy to the family, the pain and the trauma? I very much doubt it.
When people become legalistic about everything, they also begin to lose the valued emotions of love, compassion, kindness, patience – the very essence of what makes us human.
An absence of love, of warmth and care inevitably leads to a broken spirit and one can lose the will to live.
As concerned citizens, what can we do for this man until such time he gets his family back?
Anyone out there willing to get-together to give him moral support, to show him we understand and that we grieve alongside with him?
Let’s do something tangible. Please.
Haris Ibrahim
April 22, 2007
YH,
The MPs are doing nothing. What are we doing? What are you doing?
Eagle,
I have near lost all hope in the judiciary as presently constituted. I have not lost hope in you and those out there who care.
Farida,
Yes, please, do something
The Eagle
April 22, 2007
Faridah,
Yes let’s do something tangible. But what? As a parent, I cannot even begin too imagine what the mother must be going through, to have her baby snatched away from her in the name of Islam. I feel that the faith I believe in is hijacked by those who believe in form but chose not to feel compassion. Surely they must have some compassion, somewhere.
Can someone perhaps interview this man, and put it on you-tube. The power of the Net will ensure that this gets spread to many. If Malaysian Muslims only hear of concepts- custody of a “Muslim” child between non Muslim parents and Islamic authorities, of course they will side the authorities, and close their eyes to the inhumane acts. But if they are confronted with hearing this man as a father and a husband, they may change their minds. Worth a try Haris? If you think it’s a good idea but need someone to conduct the interview, let me know.
Haris Ibrahim
April 22, 2007
Eagle,
The man has been interviewed by Al-Jazeera. Footage on this matter was aired on Friday and is due to be repeated tonight, 22/4/2007 at 9.30pm on Astro Channel 20.
Having said that, it wouldn’t hurt if a local effort found its way onto you-tube.
Go for it.
zs
April 23, 2007
In the name of our Lord, we had witnessed more sacrifice and we noted it is TRUE LOVE amongst all human being will then we have real chance to survive.
The identities we had simply garnered and the sad sate of confusions we had undergon now, we better hold well on the principles of universal good, and i strongly believe in our Lord as He showed His sacrifice and died for ALL, known and unknown then, and those He was cleansing their sins and those who are now, the spiritual righteousness is not about you and I, the Sun rises east and sets at the west, it is simply TRUE!!!!
How would you be identified as a Muslim, Christian, Buddhist,….the ultimate law of nature still apply to you.
Your blood is red in colour no matter how ‘blue’ your family will come from, all the identities crisis had been witnessed, you belonged to this ‘gang’ or that, yet your identity willNEVER change the wau SUN rises and sets!!!
Just be aware, GOD is watching and He is judging any how, WHY worry????
Do your part to be a man of principle when you are called or tried, and as it is now, you can DO whatever sensible, and within the commandments of our Lord, I am having FAITH in my LORD that eventuality will be REAL and TRUTH reveals!!!!
I wish to spread the LOVE of our LORD, and I pray for you all, and in the name of Jesus Christ I prayed for all of you!!!
Amen!!!!
dmathews
April 25, 2007
I have a shameful confession. Some years ago, my infant child was taken away from my care and I was deprived of all access to her. I was totally devastated. Before I knew it, I was served with custody papers. I initially wanted to contest the proceedings and engaged counsel. The situation was bleak as the law is so heavilly weighted in favour of the mother especially where the child is below 7 years and female at that. That aside, the comical and flippant manner in which the obviously unfit judge conducted proceedings left me aggrieved feeling that it was pointless to engage myself in protracted litigation.
Then it occured to me – there was a simple solution to my predicament. All I had to do was to CONVERT and I could exploit the system to MY benefit. I honestly thought that it was in the best interests of my child to be with me. I was tempted. Very tempted.
Why didnt I opt for this ready made solution? Because whilst it may well have served MY interests, i knew it was UNJUST. Eventhough I felt that I was a victim of an unjust system (by my reckoning), I could not bring myself to perpetrate an even greater injustice on society at large. On a personal level, I realised after much thought that my “simple solution” was no solution at all as I would effectively be condemning my daughter’s life as well. What if in time to come she was in Revathi’s position? What would I have done to her and her family if I had opted to CONVERT because it was expedient and served MY needs.
Thankfully and by the grace of the ALMIGHTY, I have since been able to enjoy almost unlimited access to my daughter and we have forged a close bond – a bond that I hope and pray Revathi and her husband can enjoy with their child. We need to educate. Can we start by getting hold of the grandparents address and write to them to appeal to them and to educate them? Can we all pray for them to realise that their daughter and her family should enjoy the same freedom of religion that they availed themselves to when they themselves chose to convert? A waste of time? Perhaps. I dont know. But I do know that something must be done on all levels not just on the political front.
Gan
April 25, 2007
dmathews – you thought of using Islam, but, many others use it as a way out. But do the religious authorities or the Syariah Court cares – “NO”, as all they are interested in the numbers.
hawaiichee
May 8, 2007
I as a non Muslim has a say on Islam in Malaysia because if the hospital made a mistake and my baby goes to a Muslim family and the Muslim family has a wrong mind to think that the child masuk Islam just because they said kalimah shahadah by coercion, then I have the right to claim a right to choose for my child. This is not a progressive mind for the Muslims and is also a cancer affecting progress in Malaysia.
Progressiveness is in the mind. Not whether you ride an unta, a jeep, a motorcycle or a Waja. A progressive mind will
1. Always question and not just take in anything you here.
That is why Muslims need to read Quran on their own and question the religious leaders.
2. Be bold to make a change when you believe what is right.
It is a shame that Malaysian Muslims keep quiet and not make any progress for Islam in Malaysia. They complain that the religious leaders do not represent Islam. But, they do nothing. So, that is not progress. If you just sit on your butt and wait, there will not be any Twin Towers. Actually the Twin Towers were built by the Japanese and French. Where is progress?
3. There is no progress when you do not ask your believers to think and decide at age 18 to decide which religion to choose.
It is fine that a child follow their parents to utter the kalimah syahadah. But, when they are aged 18, they need to decide if they want to be tried under the Shariah law or the civil law. They should be given the freedom to choose. A contract need to be handed out for them to sign. You can not make a person Muslim because they are borned a Muslim. They need to choose. If there is no choice and no thinking, it is just BUTA BUTA MASUK ISLAM. Do not be complacent and say Malaysia has freedom of religion for other religions except Islam.
4. When a child is WRONGLY masuk Islam because they were wrongly adopted or they were mistakenly taken during a hospital selection, then that child should choose even if he/she had said the kalimah shahadah.
So, if non Muslim parents allow the child to masuk Islam if they want to masuk Islam, then the Muslim parents should also allow such a choice. Don”t you agree? Otherwise, is a Muslim defined by its DNA or birth?????
This is nonsense! Everyone should choose their religion. All children born in a Muslim family at age 18, need to sign a contract to decide if they should be tried under the Shariah law.
If this happens, Malaysia will have less cases of disputes as who ever signs, they choose and they can not claim they were not given a choice.
Apa nak takut. If Islam stands for truth, those who leave Islam are the losers. Why close the doors and not let them leave? Only cowards and unprogressive minds do that.