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Child Welfare in Islamic Malaysia - Ruggedtouch - 04-07-2007
Because there’s "no compulsion in religion": Malaysia's Islamic officials seize baby from mother who sought a Hindu life
Quote:KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Islamic authorities took away the baby of a Muslim woman who is living as a Hindu in defiance of the law in the latest case of religious conflict straining ties in multiethnic Malaysia, officials said Friday.
Revathi Masoosai's 15-month-old daughter was taken by the Islamic Religious Department in southern Malacca state on March 26 and handed to Revathi's Muslim mother, said department enforcement officer Mohamad Imran Ahmad.
"The baby's grandmother has custody of her for now," Mohamad Imran told The Associated Press.
Revathi, an ethnic Indian, is being held in a rehabilitation center run by Islamic authorities for her religious transgression. The baby was with Revathi's husband when she was seized. He has filed a police complaint, but it was not clear if he plans to take the case to court.
Meanwhile, the baby will stay with her grandmother. "When the baby's mother is released, she can try to regain custody if she wants to," said Mohamad Imran without elaborating. ...
Revathi, 29, was born to Indian Muslim parents who gave her a Muslim name, Siti Fatimah. However, Revathi claims she was raised as a Hindu by her grandmother and changed her name in 2001, said Chong Eng, an opposition member of Parliament. ...
"Separating mother and child ... is inhuman," Chong said in a statement.
Of course this is inhuman. It’s obscene.
Religion in Western cultures is largely a personal matter. People are free to embrace the faith of their choosing without religious authorities exacting punishment on those who might choose to make a personal choice about their religious beliefs. There is no compulsion to believe in the state mandated religion as there is in Moslem majority nations. By and large, we in the West acknowledge that faith is a private matter and ones religious belief is not often dragged into the public arena nor is religion forced upon others. In a democracy, you can believe (or choose not to embrace a religious faith) as you wish, and you can expect that personal choice to be honored (even if grudgingly) and protected by law. This is illustrative of the basic principle of <i>freedom of religion</i> (which is by default, freedom <i>from</i> religion) and the plurality in democracy that fires the debates which help to preserve our freedoms and keeps us strong. It also promotes a <i>de facto</i> secular social disposition which has allowed the arts and sciences as well as political and social environments to flourish, thus improving our lives and our ability to help others to improve theirs. The positive impact of Western liberal democracy really cannot be overstated. We've evolved and we’ve learned that totalitarian dystopias are antithetical to the human spirit of investigation and discovery.