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Body-snatching practice divides Malaysian society
Tajikistan News.Net
Wednesday 24th June, 2009 (IANS)
The sudden death of Malaysian Mohan Singh, 41, came as a shock to his family. But worse was the nightmare that followed: the country's religious authority confiscated the body, saying the man converted to Islam in 1992 and had to be buried according to Muslim rites.
'He was a practising Sikh until the end,' his family protested, but without much success. The family is still fighting for Singh's remains in court.
Singh's is only the latest in a series of 'body-snatching' cases, as they are labelled by those affected, a practice which deeply divides Malaysia's multicultural and multi-religious society.
More than three years ago, it was the case of Maniam 'Everest' Moorthy. In 1997, the Hindu climber was a member of the first group of Malaysians to reach the top of Mount Everest. Moorthy died in 2005 after an accident. His family was shocked when the authority confiscated his body and buried him as a Muslim.
In December 2006, it was Catholic Rayappan Anthony, in January 2008, Buddhist Gan Eng Or, and there have been others. Often the authorities turn up with a police escort in the dead of night and take the bodies, said Datuk A. Vaithilingam, president of the multi-religious Malaysian Consultative Council on Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST).
The organisation unites all those religions, except Islam. The big Muslim organisations declined to form an inter-religious council including all of them.
'When people are alive, no-one from the Islamic authority cares, only when they are dead,' said MCCBCHST deputy V. Harcharan Singh. 'We are second-class citizens,' added Brother Augustine Julian of the Catholic Bishops' Conference. 'They say: you are immigrants. We are merely tolerated.'
Malik Imtiaz Sarwar is one of the few Muslim lawyers in the country who openly protests against the practice.
The ruling United Malays National Organization party has been pushing ahead with Islamisation to head off the increasing popularity of the Islamic opposition, observers say. However, only 60 percent of Malaysians are Muslim, 19 percent are Buddhists, 9 percent Christian and about 6 percent Hindus.
The government allowed the setting up of Islamic sharia courts to deal with Muslim personal law disputes. 'However, these courts set themselves up in competition to high courts,' Malik said. 'That violates the constitution.'
However, Malaysia's supreme court refuses to clarify this matter, he said.
In 2001, then prime minister Mahathir Mohammad declared Malaysia an 'Islamic state'.
'The vast majority of Muslims stay silent, because they are afraid of annoying their community and rocking the boat in which they enjoy privileges,' Malik said.
Malaysia's government introduced a two-class society after race riots in the late 1960s. Back then, ethnic Malays, who are Muslims by definition according to the constitution, had been underprivileged for decades although they were and still are the majority population.
The country's elites were made up of ethnic Chinese (26 percent) and ethnic Indians (8 percent). Now, Malays are entitled among other things to more university places, cheaper housing and the lion's share of government contracts.
Muslims are only allowed to convert with the approval of a sharia court, which is almost never given. Therefore the reasoning is simple for the religious authorities: once someone converts to Islam, he or she dies as a Muslim.
The family may challenge that, but again, sharia courts have jurisdiction. If the judges rule the deceased a Muslim, he has to be buried according to Muslim rules. The word of Muslim witnesses is sometimes enough.
'Why quarrel about a dead body?' Harcharan Singh asked. Maybe it's something like a one-up for religion, Malik argued. 'It is all about power and supremacy.'
Brother Augustine is frustrated: 'We see no light at the end of tunnel. They listen but close their minds.' Vaithilingam is more optimistic, not giving up hope that things may change.
There may be movement within society, Malik said. Increasing numbers of Malay students do not return from abroad 'because they do not want to come home to this regimented scenario', he says. They are ready for change, he believes.
In April, former deputy premier Najib Razak took over the premiership, and vowed to pursue a 'One Malaysia' policy. One Malaysia is supposed to emphasise national unity, key elements being mutual respect and trust among the different races.
Meanwhile, Mohan Singh's family keeps on fighting. A sharia law confirmed Singh's obscure 1992 conversion - 'despite the fact that Mohan later got married as a Sikh and has a daughter who is a Sikh and his ID papers say he is a Sikh,' Jagir Singh, the family's lawyer, said. A civil law court surprisingly accepted their appeal.
As the legal tug-o-war enters another round, Singh's body is in a morgue, awaiting its final fate.  Email this story to a friend
Comments on this story
Ronnie
06-24-09, 11:52 PM |
Body-snatching practice divides Malaysian society
I am a muslim born in Malaysia. Fighting over a dead body is not only foolish but insane. Islam never forces anyone neither does islam deprive anyone the right to practise any religion they want to. Islam is very simple but its the people who make it difficult nad confusing. In the case of Mr. Singh here and all the others I sympathize to their families. I urge the government to be true muslims and get their facts right before denying its people their rights. What should be done is if a person converts make sure all documentations such as the person’s ID and other relevant documents changed to show that this person has converted. What Mr. Hrcharan Singh says is very true when people are alive no one from the religious dept cares. Islam is all about Iman which means purity in the heart its not about saying I am a muslim and claiminng to the world that I am a muslim. There is no need to proud of being a muslim when there is no purity in the heart. God created all of us as human with different characters and believes and way of thinking. We can never agree to each other but the closest we can get to is to be pure in the heart and that is what Islam is all about. If there is proof of Mr. Singh converting and based on that his dead body should be buried to Islamic rites. I urge the religious dept to proof that he was a true muslim a practising muslim before they can state their claim over his dead body. Condolence to Mr. Singh and family and all those who have been affected by this chaotic situation caused by people who claim to be learned muslims but the fact is that they are not. Again I remind Islam is Iman (Purity of the heart)
Salam to all.
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vadi
06-25-09, 01:26 AM |
Well said Ronnie
I agree with ronnie’s comments. I referred this matter to a close friend, an Islamic scholar, who stated that this behaviour demeaned Islam and indeed was
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vadi
06-25-09, 01:27 AM |
Well said Ronnie
I agree with ronnie’s comments. I referred this matter to a close friend, an Islamic scholar, who stated that this behaviour demeaned Islam and indeed was
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ronnie
06-25-09, 07:52 AM |
Spread this message
Spread the word out to all malaysians that what the religious department is doing is just an act of irresponsible muslims who are blinded by ego over the fact that there is no one else better than them. I urge all muslims to go back to the teaching of the great prophet who never ever denied anyones right. Today most muslims act from what they listen to some so called learned scholars without reffering back to the quran on what is suppose to be done. The quran is for us to understand and i urge those who are ignorant to read it in the language the person understands best and not only the arabic version. We are not arabs and of course we will not understand the quran the way the arabs do. Even the arabs dont really understand the quran. A very good example was when i approached a imam once in my neighbourhood mosque after recieving complaints from a few non muslim friends over the issue of the quran recitation early in the morning. The imam was annoyed when me being a muslim requesting him to lower down the volume during the quran reciattion at 5.30 am. He told me that by listening to the recitation many people had embraced islam due to the pureness of the religion. I questioned the imam back when and where did this happen and the answer given to me was during the days of the prophet and it was in medinah where many embarced islam due to listening to the recitation of the quran. I then told him that those were arab people who understood what the recitation was all about thats why they embraced the religion. I told him to recite the quran in English or Malay so that everyone would understand and that would help him in spreading the word of Islam but to date no such action has been taken. How will anyone who does not understand what is being tought to you will accept and embrace the beauitful religion that we have. Think about it and please comment.
Salam to all.
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Haji Ali
06-25-09, 08:22 AM |
NO COMPULSION, thats sinning...
Thats what I keep hearing, its a beatiful religion...no compulsion, no forcing, respect the 'non-believers', equality (i.e no quota) BUT from what I see, very sad to say, the exact opposite is true.Nevertheless I am still optimistic, for there are some good people out there who will call a spade a spade and nothing else, so help them God.
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tengku
06-25-09, 08:22 AM |
stupid singki issue
i know u so called ronnie is not a true ISLAM. How ever no body forced this guy to convert. He did it when he was in the right state of mind.! u all must understand that. If u all are still a adament with your attitude, well go back to where your origins belong. U do not belong in this
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Rubin
06-25-09, 08:24 AM |
Coerrect the Facts of Malay Population.
The 60% Malays are not only Malays, they aslo include Malay Anak Dagang (Indonesians), Malay Kacukan(Indians, Pakistans, and Middle East origins). The pure Malays may be less than 40% only.
Please get this fact corrected.
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ronnie
06-25-09, 10:58 AM |
Tengku - Thanks for your comment
Many thanks tengku appreciate your comments. Like I said we all have our own believes and way of thinking. So let it be.
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tengku
06-25-09, 10:50 PM |
ronnie, the pleasure is always mind.
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Dennis the menace
07-06-09, 02:35 AM |
2+2=5...? call spade as a spade...?
Oh My Dear...
just a simple issue but with more interest
I just laugh all of my days regarding this issue...how could the these people ( all commentars ) look like loose the rational mind...
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