MALAYSIA: Council of Churches Denies Muhyiddin’s Claim of Plot to ‘Christianize’ Malaysia

Posted by Asia Views | Nov 18, 2022 | 0 |

MalayMail-Nov 18

The Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) today rejected any covert agenda to “Christianize” the country as alleged by Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in the run-up to the 15th general election taking place tomorrow. CCM general secretary Reverend Jonathan Jesudas said the former prime minister’s remarks that Christians were conspiring with a group of Jews to convert Muslim-majority Malaysia was not only untrue but also irresponsible for an influential person of his standing and wants the authorities to take action. “We live in a multi-religious and multiracial country and the sensitivity of each community must be taken into account when addressing public forums. “Such statements, carelessly uttered, have a tendency to create racial and religious tension and strife,” Jonathan said in a statement. Videos of Muhyiddin delivering a speech in which he made controversial remarks have been circulating on social media. A YouTube video uploaded by Malay news outlet Agenda Daily yesterday showed Muhyiddin urging voters to reject Pakatan Harapan (PH) while on stump at the PNBest ceramah in Muar, Johor on November 16. The Pagoh defender claimed that PH was being backed by a group of Jews and Christians pushing their religious agenda in Malaysia.

“Pakatan Harapan is a huge danger. I saw a video where a group of Jews was talking about Malaysia, and they were praying for the country to fall into the hands of the Opposition, which has been sponsoring these groups of Jews and Christians. For me this is dangerous. Is it a process of Christianization happening? You can see it in Kuala Lumpur, in Petaling Jaya. If there are churches, there are Malays and it looks like they have already converted to being Christians,” Muhyiddin said in his speech at Padang Bukit Mor in Muar. Clips of his speech have also been making rounds on TikTok. Malay Mail has reached out to Muhyiddin’s team for response comment. Read more at: https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2022/11/18/council-of-churches-denies-muhyiddins-claim-of-plot-to-christianise-malaysia/40427

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

MALAYSIA: Council of Churches Denies Muhyiddin’s Claim of Plot to ‘Christianize’ Malaysia

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