It is about time we demand recprocity from the Muslims
Reader comment on item: Russian Orthodox Churches in Saudi Arabia?

Submitted by Francis T Rozario (Malaysia), Dec 22, 2008 at 07:12

Malaysia is a secular country with Islam as its official religion. That was the conditions of our independence from the British.
In fact when East Malaysia was added the ethnic people of that part of the country demanded total secularism without Islam as the official religion, but they were assured that having Islam as the official religion will not violate their rights to freedom of religion and worship.
Today fifty years after our independence and 44 years since the formation of Malaysia (the inclusion of East Malaysia), the people of other faiths in Malaysia face their most challenging times int the practice of their faith.

It is an offence for a Muslim to convert to another faith, fi he does he is detained without trial and sent ot the shrink to be brain washed.
Today many a Christian and non Christian has been surprised by the Muslim authorities walking into their homes whislt they are in the midst of funeral preperations for their beloved family members, claiming the deceased had converted to Islam. These conversions even if true were never known to the next of kin, in fact in all if not most cases the deceased was a practicing member of the same faith as that of the family members justt before death.

In some cases a brother may have converted and knowledge of that conversion would have been in public domain but the deceased was not, but on a mere claim by him the authorities would snatch the body without due regard to wife and children's desires and claims that he wasn't a Muslim and be taken for burial under Muslim rites.

Once this is done the estate of the deceased immdeiately goes to his Muslim brother. In other cases it goes to the Islamic authorities.
Approval for the building of Churches is difficult, ethnic Malaysians from East Malaysia, are deprived of their native rights whereas the immigrant malay Muslim is given more rights than he deserves and much more than the natives of non Islamic origin, many f whom are Christians.

The Catholic Newspaper in the country is bullied, its permit to print withheld and the renewal due in January of 2009 is yet to be given, with one minister openly saying "let them wait."
Yes it is about time we demand reciprocity, a Church in the Vatican was a slap in our faces, they tell us they are so powerful even the Pope is afraid of them, they never appreciate our Christian goodwill.
We are duty boudn to continue to give it to them, but let us in the process educate them that they will have to reciprocate.

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