KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Taoism (MCCBCHST) has called for action to be taken against preacher Firdaus Wong over his suggestion to “informally” convert minors to Islam.
In a statement today, MCCBCHST’s council said it was appalled by the “immoral and illegal” plan to convert minors and had been raising the issue for the past decade.
“The MCCBCHST makes a desperate call to all MPs, including federal ministers, to raise this issue in the cabinet and ensure that this immoral and sinister plan of converting minors is stopped immediately and action be taken against Firdaus.
“This immoral, unconstitutional, and illegal plan of converting minors to Islam is not only against the Federal Constitution’s fundamental liberties but also violates the basic structure of the constitution,” it said in the statement.
The council referred to a TikTok video of Firdaus responding to a question about measures to take for Form 3 and Form 4 students wishing to convert to Islam by suggesting they informally convert by reciting the shahadah and postponing the registration until they are 18 years old.
The video also allegedly depicted him saying no evidence of the conversion should be recorded to keep it a secret.
MCCBCHST cited Article 12(4) of the constitution, which states that the religion of those under 18 years old is decided by their parents or guardian.
Therefore, the council said Firdaus’ “secret conversion plan” to simply utter the shahadah would be void ab initio (from the beginning) due to its non-compliance with the constitution.
“In Islam, the point of conversion is upon recitation of the (shahadah) and not upon registration. Not only would parental consent not be obtained, but the sinister plan also includes keeping the conversion hidden from their knowledge. A parent will be devastated to learn of their child’s secret conversion.
“Schools are places where knowledge is imparted, but if schools themselves indulge in the immoral practice of converting minors, then there is no longer any safe place for our children,” the council said.
The council also pointed out that the incident would create immediate flak if it was a conversion from Islam to another religion, adding that minors should not be denied their parents’ protection. – June 9, 2024